Something's Gotta Give
by pinktink008
Summary: When Steve Rogers walked into the gym, he had to do a double take. There was a young woman sparring with a man twice her size & she seemed to be doing a good job of keeping the guy on his toes. Her speed & agility made up for the size disadvantage by a long shot. Post Avengers, AU, fluffy. Steve/OC Rated M for brief sexual encounters & language. Slightly revised. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This story is obviously AU. It would probably come after _The Avengers_ movie if I were to place it in the timeline somewhere. I don't own _Captain America_ or _The Avengers_ (although it would be cool if I did) and I have made no profit from writing this. I have used the character of Captain Steve Rogers with care or at least I hope so. I hope that you enjoy the story and if you do, I'd love a little review. Thanks so much!

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When Steve Rogers walked into the gym, he had to do a double take. There was a young woman sparring with a man twice her size and she seemed to be doing a good job of keeping the guy on his toes. Her speed and agility made up for the size disadvantage by a long shot. Steve found himself walking around the boxing ring and finding a bench to sit and watch. Steve put down his gym bag and sat on the bench, eying the opponents in the ring. Usually this place wasn't busy at this time of the day and he could come in and punch a few punching bags. The owner didn't mind because Steve always replaced any that he broke. Of course he didn't want to go around doing that with other people in the gym but to be honest he was more than curious about this young woman in the boxing ring right now.

He watched as she ducked under the man's swing and caught the guy with a good punch to his stomach. He swore that he could hear the air rushing out of the man in the ring. When the man started to wave his hands in defeat to call her off, the young woman laughed. She pulled off her gloves and then her head gear with a grin on her face. She held out a hand to the man and he slapped it away which made her laugh again, louder this time. She was taking the time to catch her breath right now, as was the man she was sparring with. It seemed to Steve that the man needed it more than she did though.

"You're getting old, Nate," she said with a grin. She walked over to the corner closest to Steve and grabbed a water bottle there. When she saw Steve, she flashed him a quick smile with a nod and then took a drink of water before turning back to her sparring partner. "Looks like we have ourselves a guest. Did you know someone was coming in, Nate?"

When the man took off his gloves and then his head gear, he looked over in the young woman's direction. He nodded and Steve recognized the man as the owner of this gym. Nate was a burly man, gruff and tough looking with graying dark brown hair and emerald green eyes that always seemed to be twinkling with humor. The funny thing was that Steve never would've imagined that a young woman of such petite stature would've had a guy like Nate against the ropes like she had. Nate walked to the corner nearest him and grabbed a bottle as well to take a long drink before climbing out of the ring.

"That, my dear, would be Steve Rogers. He comes in every night to blow off some steam. Maybe we should give him some space," Nate said with a nod as he raked his fingers through his hair. He gestured toward his office and chuckled when the young woman rolled her eyes as she climbed out of the ring as well.

Instead of following Nate, though, she walked over to Steve and stuck out her hand to him. "I'm Aly," she said with a little smile.

Steve saw the way that she looked him over and he actually felt a blush on his cheeks although he hoped it wasn't noticeable. It wasn't something he could help. "It's nice to meet you, Aly. I'm Steve," he said with a nod as he shook her small hand. He noticed that she didn't have a dainty grip. She shook his hand firmly so he did the same. "How do you know Nate?"

Aly looked when Steve nodded toward the office. The door was closed and all the shades were drawn. She shrugged when she looked back at Steve before taking another drink of water. "Nate's kind of like a second father to me," she said with a shrug before sitting down on the bench where Steve had been sitting. "I grew up around here. My parents were always at work but Nate was always nice enough to let me hang out. Well once I was a little older anyway." She laughed and shrugged before draining the bottle of water.

"How old are you anyway?" Steven asked. His curiosity was piqued now and he was going to figure out who Aly was if it killed him. It was probably just because of how talented she seemed to be in the ring that he was even this curious about her in the first place. It couldn't be anything else after all. It wasn't like Steve was interested in Aly for her looks although he couldn't deny that her bright blue eyes and those dimples that poked out in her cheeks when she smiled were attractive attributes.

Aly seemed to sit up straighter suddenly. She looked Steve right in the eyes when she spoke. "I'm 21," she said with a nod, looking at him like she wanted him to argue that point. "I know I don't look it but I am. I'm in college too. I'm going to be a teacher one day. My mother wanted to be a teacher but she could never afford to go to college. She worked in a factory her whole life. My father worked for the city sanitation service. Between the two of them, they saved up to make sure that their only child could follow her dreams. That's just what I plan on doing too."

Steve smiled at her conviction. It was clear in her voice. She was a proud young woman. She seemed like someone who never backed down from anything. That kind of attitude probably served her well although Steve was sure that her looks helped her get far as well. He hadn't met someone with a will like hers in quite some time actually. It was a curious thing, the way that Aly reminded him of someone that he used to know. He sat down on the bench next to her now, turned toward her. Steve felt a bit drawn to her and he wanted to figure out more about her.

"Why do you want to be a teacher? There are so many other professions where you could help people," Steve asked.

Aly smiled and shrugged, enjoying the attention right now. "But as a teacher I can work with young children. I can get them interested in learning," she said with a little nod. She looked away from him, staring at her feet as she spoke. "I had a teacher like that. I want to be an inspiration that way."

Steve's smile seemed to brighten and he suddenly forgot why he'd come to the gym in the first place. The heavy bags could wait for another time after all. They weren't going anywhere and it wasn't like Steve couldn't come back another day. "I'm sure you will be. You seem like you'll be a great teacher," he said with a little nod. He wanted her to know that he believed in her. Maybe it didn't matter if he believed in her but Steve still wanted her to feel like someone believed in her.

Aly looked away, a light rosiness to her cheeks. She shyly tucked some of the stray strands of her hair behind her ear. "I hope so. I start actually working in a class room this year. I'm nervous," she said with a little shrug.

"I saw you in that ring. You can take care of yourself," Steve said with a chuckle. When he was rewarded with a laugh, he smiled. He saw her look up at him and smile back, those dimples peeking out at him. It made his heart skip a beat for a moment there. "Hey. I wouldn't mess with you. That's all I'm saying." He put up his hands as if he was surrendering, laughing softly as Aly rolled her eyes.

She gave him a little nudge, laughing. "I'm going to be working in a room full of 6-year-olds. I really hope I won't have to knock one of them out," she said with a laugh, shaking her head a little. "You know I'm keeping you from whatever you came here to do. I should go. I need a shower anyway. Will you still be here in an hour or two?"

Steve tried not to sigh when Aly shifted to stand up although he understood why she wanted to grab a shower. It wasn't until she mentioned it that he even thought about the fact that Aly might need a shower right now. He'd been so lost in talking to her that nothing else seemed to have mattered to Steve for awhile there. "Yeah, I just need to blow off a little steam," he said with a nod. "I probably won't be more than an hour. Should we meet right back here?"

Aly smiled softly, nodding as she loosened her blond hair from the braid that it had been in, running her fingers through her hair. "Yeah. We'll meet right here. I'll see you soon, Steve." She laughed as she walked away, glancing over her shoulder at him for a moment. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw that Steve was watching her walk away.

Steve carried over a spare punching bag and then taped his wrists and hands. He didn't need boxing gloves for this. It wasn't like he'd actually hurt himself. Not really. His thoughts were all over the place right now so he was doing his best to focus his attention solely on the bag in front of him. As long as he kept his focus on the bag, he could push all thoughts out of his head. Steve started to get lost in hitting the bag until he broke it. It wasn't something he did on purpose but if he kept punching it, it was what happened. He couldn't change that any more than he could change all of the things that he'd been through in his life up to this point.

He didn't notice when Aly came back into the gym. She was leaning against the wall, watching him, when Steve broke the first bag. She had a little smile on her face as she watched him pick up and put up a new bag. Aly was quiet as she walked over toward the boxing ring, sitting on the edge as she watched Steve starting to work on the second punching bag. She laughed when Steve suddenly stopped, looking over at her, his face flushed from the exertion. Aly gave him a little wave and hopped down before walking over to him.

Steve didn't mean to stare but as Aly walked over, he couldn't seem to help himself. She looked quite different right now. When he first saw her, her long blond hair was in a braided ponytail. She had been in a pair of black yoga pants and a dark blue tank top and tennis shoes as well. Now Aly was in a pair of dark rinse skinny jeans and a lavender plaid button down top with lavender flats. Her hair was down and wavy now, probably from the braid that she'd had her hair in. Aly was quite stunning actually, very different from the young woman that he'd first met. In fact, looking at her now, Steve could see how she was truly a young woman. She wasn't some little girl, despite her stature. She carried herself like a poised young woman. It made him smile as he watched her walk toward him.

"What's that grin for, mister?" Aly asked with a light laugh.

Steve felt that heat on his cheeks again, knowing that he was probably blushing. He couldn't help it though. It was just what happened when he got embarrassed and Aly seemed to be good at embarrassing him. He didn't know how that worked though. He didn't know how she did it. All Steve knew was that Aly could make him nervous. Then again he'd never been good at talking to women. That certainly hadn't changed recently either.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head with a chuckle, glad that he could play off the blush right now as his face being flushed from his workout. "Nothing at all."

Aly rolled her eyes. "What? Do I look that different or something?" she asked as she walked over and sat down on the bench again, her eyes twinkling a bit with humor. "I don't think that I look that different."

Steve rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, not sure what to say. He decided to go with being honest. If she didn't like it, she'd let him know. Aly seemed pretty straight forward after all so he thought that he'd be alright. It seemed like the best thing to do was to just be honest with her. Hopefully she wouldn't want to slap him across the face for anything that he said.

"Actually you do," he finally said with a nod. He started to unwind the tape on his hands as he spoke. It gave Steve something to do other than standing there awkwardly and he was thankful for that. "You look very different right now."

Aly looked down at her feel, blushing softly now. "Did you need to grab a shower? I can wait for you in Nate's office," she said shyly. "I was hoping that we could go grab a coffee or something to talk some more. If you don't mind."

Steve walked over and lifted Aly's chin so she would look at him. "I'm going to grab a shower but I'd like to take you to dinner. If you don't mind," he said with a soft smile. He tried to keep from chuckling when he repeated what she had just said to him although it was true. Steve wanted to spend more time with Aly. He wanted to get to know her. He wanted to take her to dinner, partially because he was hungry right now. Steve just hoped that Aly was okay with it.

Aly bit her lip softly and nodded before saying anything. "Of course. I'll wait for you. I just want to check with Nate," she said with a shrug. "See you in a few?"

Steve smiled and nodded. "I shouldn't be long but don't rush on my account," he said with a laugh. "I have more patience than you know."

Aly laughed as she stood up, smiling at Steve. She rubbed her hand on Steve's arm as she passed him, giggling when she saw his jaw almost drop from that touch. There was a jolt of electricity that rushed through both of them from that bit of contact though, even if they both were ignoring it. He watched her walk away again, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't know what was going on right now. It was confusing but Steve knew that he was going to see this through. He wanted to get to know Aly better. That was one thing that he was very sure of.


	2. Chapter 2

Aly slid into the booth across from Steve, laughing at a joke he had told her on the way over. They'd walked to a diner down the street and as they walked, they talked a little. Mostly it was discussing Aly's plans for the future. Steve liked listening to her talk after all and she didn't seem to mind sharing. Here and there, though, he'd toss in a joke or something like that to keep the mood light. She would laugh at all the right places, which made him wonder if she was being polite. Then he would see the grin on Aly's face and he knew that she was having a good time with him. The truth of the matter was that he was having a good time too. He hadn't thought that he'd ever get to enjoy things like this but here he was, out with a pretty girl and Steve was actually enjoying himself.

Now that they were at the diner though Steve felt a little like he was floundering for something to talk about. It wasn't as if they had exhausted all the topics they could talk about but he wasn't sure what to talk about next so Steve was going to wait to see if Aly had any ideas. This was when the fact that he wasn't good with women seemed to come back and bite him in the ass. She slid him a menu, almost as if she sensed that something was wrong, but she didn't say a word. He took it with a smile, opening it up and glancing at it for a second. Steve kept it on the table though so he could watch Aly. He didn't want to have to look at her over the top of it.

"Have you ever been here before?" Aly asked with a smile as she opened her menu as well. She didn't seem to look at it right away though. Seeing that Steve had his on the table, she did the same since she figured that it would be easier to look at him this way. She looked down at it briefly though, scanning the first two pages quickly. Aly was familiar with the menu though so she really didn't need to look it over.

Steve watched her as she looked over the menu, not really able to look at anything else but Aly at the moment. She had all of his attention after all. He seemed to be studying her face at the moment, trying to figure her out. "No. Have you?"

Aly looked up again with a soft smile, nodding. If she noticed that Steve had been staring at her, she didn't say anything about it. She had to admit that she liked the attention after all. It wasn't like she didn't find Steve attractive because she did so she liked the idea that he might find her attractive as well. "I come here a lot after I train with Nate. He gets mad at me about it though," she said with a little shrug, laughing softly. There was a shyness to her voice when she said it though and she tucked some of her long, blond hair behind her ear before looking back at the menu.

"Don't tell me. He complains that the food is garbage, right?" Steve asked with a laugh, shaking his head a little bit. When Aly nodded, he laughed again. The fact that he'd gotten that right proved to him that while some things changed, some things stayed the same. "Isn't that what makes it so good though?"

Aly looked up, grinning and nodding. She was glad that Steve understood where she was coming from because Nate never did. "That's what I've tried telling him but Nate doesn't believe it," she said, shaking her head in an amused way. She turned the page on her menu again although she wasn't looking at it now. "You have to have one of the cheeseburgers here. They're so good. If you're hungry, get the double bacon cheeseburger. It's huge." She giggled when she said it, nodding. "And they have waffle fries, which I love. Don't get me started on the milk shakes."

Steve laughed at how enthusiastic she was about talking about the food at the diner. There was something endearing about it actually, the way that she seemed to gush about the food. It also showed a little more of her personality which Steve really liked. Any moment that he got to see a little more of what made Aly who she was seemed like a good moment to him. "I take it the milk shakes are good," he said with a nod.

Aly laughed, nodding as well. "Only the best I've ever had. They're not too thick, very creamy. I could have one of those and be full for awhile," she said with a smile. She licked her lips a little just thinking about the food and the shakes. "If you're worried about greasy food though, they have a great grilled chicken sandwich. My cousin, when she comes to visit, loves to come here for the grilled cheese sandwiches. They use a couple of kinds of cheeses in it. She always gets one with bacon though."

"You didn't mention any family other than your parents before. Where does your cousin live?" Steve asked, sitting up a little. The menu was long forgotten at this point. He was too busy talking to Aly to worry about something like that. He wanted to hear more about this cousin of hers now that Aly had mentioned having a cousin.

"Oh, yeah. She was born here but her parents moved when she was a baby. She lives in Ohio now," Aly said with a shrug. She hadn't realized that she'd never mentioned any of her other family members until now. "I don't see her that often but she'll come here sometimes during the summer or during spring break. My aunt and uncle don't like sending her here that often though. They're afraid something will happen to her."

Steve shook his head a little, not able to understand the logic her aunt and uncle may have used when deciding that. "But she's here with you. Why wouldn't they want her here? It's not like you'd let something happen to her," he said, not understanding why Aly's aunt and uncle wouldn't trust her to keep an eye on her own cousin.

"It's not that," Aly said with a soft sigh. She shrugged as she seemed to try to figure out how to explain this to Steve because she wasn't sure she was doing a good job of it right now. "They don't like New York. It has nothing to do with me, Steve. Hailey is a sweetheart though. She's 12 now. I'm hoping she'll be able to visit this summer. I miss her."

Steve smiled at the way that Aly's face and voice softened when she talked about her cousin. It was sweet the way that she spoke about her family. "I hope so too. If she does come around, I'd love to meet Hailey," he said with a nod, grinning. "She sounds like an amazing girl. Not unlike her cousin actually."

Aly looked at Steve with wide eyes. She couldn't believe that he was saying things like that to her because that would mean that he was interested in her and she couldn't see how that was possible. It didn't make sense to her at all and she was blushing quite a bit. Aly picked up her menu now and pretended to look at it. "Hailey is a sweetheart. I'll give you that much," she said, peeking over the top of the menu at Steve. "She's got a great head on her shoulders too. Smarter than most people give her credit for."

"Like you perhaps?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Before Aly could say anything, their waitress finally stopped at their table. Her hair was dark brown but there were streaks of silver in it, showing her age. Her name tag read Trixie. She pulled a pen out of her apron as well as her order pad and she tapped her pen on the pad in time with the music that played in the diner. It was pretty standard songs from the 1950s and 1960s and it seemed from the look on Trixie's face that she was quite bored of it. Still she flashed them a polite smile before she said anything.

"What can I get you two?" Trixie asked. Her tone was meant to be friendly but it came out a bit annoyed. She shifted her weight on her feet as she waited for them to order.

"Can we just get two waters right now? I think we're still looking at the menu," Steve said as he looked up at Trixie.

The waitress sighed and nodded before turning around to get them two glasses of water. The look on her face as she turned around seemed to indicate that if they weren't ready to order when she got back, she was going to start getting a little rude. As soon as she left, Steve did a quick scan of the menu before deciding to just order what Aly had suggested earlier.

"Do you know what you want yet?" Aly asked. She looked relieved for a change of subject right now.

"I think I'm getting that double bacon cheeseburger actually," Steve said with a chuckle. "With a vanilla milk shake and those waffle fries you were going on about earlier."

Aly smiled now, brightly. That relaxed ease was back again as she looked at him, setting down her menu and closing it. "Cheeseburger, waffle fries and a chocolate shake," she said with a nod of her head as if that was the final say on the matter.

When Trixie came back just a moment later with their waters, Steve ordered for them. Aly protested after the waitress left that she could've ordered for herself but the little smile on her face when he had ordered for her seemed to indicate that she liked that he'd done it. Steve made sure that any conversation from that point on wasn't as personal although he asked when she started boxing and why she had even started in the first place. She explained that it was something to do when she was hanging out at Nate's gym. Aly had started to go there because it had been on the way home from school. She had just dropped in one day and talked with Nate. Nate had been nice enough to let her do her homework in his office as long as she helped out by taking out the garbage and sweeping the floors now and then. Slowly Aly had started to ask about learning to box. She'd watched some of the guys who came in to train with Nate and she wanted to learn. It had nothing to do with self-defense although learning to box had built up her confidence or so she said. It was more that she wanted to actually have something to do while she was there instead of sitting around and watching everyone else.

She explained to Steve that Nate had been worried at first. She was a small girl after all. He hadn't thought that she could handle it. Aly had proved him wrong with their first lesson though. She hadn't knocked him out but she'd been quick and had tired him out quicker than Nate had anticipated. She kept training for the next few years and while Nate tried to get her to actually compete as a boxer because he thought she was that good, Aly didn't see that in her future. It was just a nice way to blow off some steam now and then.

She asked a little about Steve and he gave her simple answers. He skirted around his truth but still gave Aly honest answers. He told her where he was born and that he'd been in the military. He told her about his parents and his friends. Steve kept most of the answers short and she didn't pry whenever it seemed like Steve wasn't looking to give her more information. She seemed satisfied to get to know him a bit and they were back to smiling and laughing and joking with each other as they waited for their food and again as they ate.

Steve offered to walk Aly to her car and was surprised when she told him that she could walk home from where they were. He could too actually and he offered to walk her home. She lived closer than he did but it was actually on his way. He could've taken his motorcycle to the gym today but it had been nice enough that he decided to walk there. It wasn't that far after all. As they walked, Steve noticed that Aly seemed to walk closer to him now although he chalked that up to it being late. It was dark out now and she probably felt safer being closer to him.

When they reached her apartment building, Aly stopped and turned toward him with a grin on her face. "I had a great time, Steve," she said with a little nod. She started up the stairs although she stopped at the second stair. She saw Steve was standing at the bottom of the stairs so she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Take care. Maybe I'll see you around."

Steve watched, in shock, as she ran up the rest of the stairs and let herself into the apartment building. He stood there for a moment or two actually, watching to make sure that she made it safely inside. He saw a light go on in one of the apartments at the front end of the building. Second floor. He looked up and wondered if that was her place. Steve took a few steps back and looked up, seeing her silhouette against the blinds that were drawn in her windows. He smiled a little, glad to know that Aly was in her apartment and safe. He felt better about heading home now that he knew that she was okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who's read the story. Especially those of you who have put it on alert for updates or who have favorited it. It makes my day to see those messages in my email inbox when I check my email. I'd love a review but just knowing that people like it is enough for me. Also you may or may not have noticed that I've changed my pen name on here. If you favorited or put the story on alert before, you might have to do it again because of the name change. I'm not sure. I hope you guys keep reading and keep enjoying this because it's been so fun to write so far!

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Steve stopped in at Nate's gym more often after that day. He stopped by when he could in the past but he stopped in four times that week. He seemed to miss Aly every time or at least that was what Nate told him. Steve had a feeling that Nate knew what was going on, more so than maybe even Steve knew. All he knew was that he couldn't wait to see Aly again. Finally Nate told Steve that the best way to catch up with Aly would be go to the coffee shop closest to the university campus. She worked there part-time and would sometimes stick around after her shift was over to study for a bit.

When Steve walked into the coffee shop that afternoon, he was ready to find a table to sit and wait for Aly to come in but she was already sitting at a table. She had her laptop open as she read something, taking notes for a bit and then opening a book to search through it for something else. She was too caught up in what she was doing to notice that Steve was standing right in front of her. He looked over and saw her black apron draped over a chair. When he looked at the nametag on it, he saw that her name was actually Alyssa, not Aly. He smiled before clearing his throat to try to get her attention.

"I'm off the clock. Sorry," Aly said without looking up, waving the pen in her hand a little when she said it. She was reading something in one of her books, tapping one end of the pen against her bottom lip, before taking a few more notes in her notebook.

"I'm sorry, Alyssa. I was just hoping to see you again," Steve said. He was grinning when she looked up at him with a surprised look on her face. He had to admit that he was happy to see that he had surprised her. It was even better that she seemed pleased to see him too. Steve gestured to the chair that was right across from Aly. "Can I sit down?"

"Please. Sit down," Aly said, nodding. She couldn't seem to wipe the grin off her of face right now at seeing Steve. "You called me Alyssa though. How did you know …"

She didn't have to finish her question because Steve looked over at her apron as she said it. Aly started laughing as soon as she realized how he'd figured out her name and then shrugged. Steve laughed a little with her, a soft smile on his face. He did find it funny that Aly hadn't realized that her work apron was sitting right there with her nametag on it. Her reaction to realizing it was amusing to say the least.

"I forgot I had that there. They put everyone's full name on the nametags. I'm not used to anyone calling me Alyssa," she said, shaking her head with a laugh.

"Don't you like your name?" Steve asked. His head was cocked to the side a little with a curious look on his face. He honestly wondered if she disliked her name that much or if she was so used to hearing people call her Aly at this point that she wasn't used to hearing someone call her Alyssa for a change. Steve liked her name after all. He liked the way that it sounded more than Aly although he would happily call her whatever she liked more.

Aly closed the book she was looking at, setting it aside. She even shut down her laptop, closing it before saying anything. As she did it, she sighed softly, her eyes closing for a moment. The words that she wanted to say seemed caught in her throat but Aly wanted Steve to know as much about her as possible. She trusted him after all. She wasn't going to keep things from him if she could help it. It wasn't in her nature after all. She was an open book when she knew that she could trust someone.

"Alyssa is … a scared little girl who would hide under the covers from the arguments that she could hear through the walls at the apartment. Alyssa is a latch-key kid who would walk herself home from school and would have to try to make dinner after she did her homework because her parents weren't home yet," she said with a sigh, looking away from Steve. She couldn't look at him right now. Aly wanted to get the words out and she hoped that she didn't start to cry in the process. "Alyssa is too shy to say anything to anyone else because she's afraid people will judge her the moment she opens her mouth. Alyssa is the little girl who never had friends over to her house for sleepovers because she was embarrassed of where she lived. Alyssa is the little girl that didn't like going to other people's houses for sleepovers because she just came home feeling more depressed about her life in the end. When I got to high school, I stopped being Alyssa."

Steve nodded a little as she spoke, reaching out for her hand because he could tell that this wasn't easy for her to say to him. He covered one of her hands with his, holding Aly's hand tightly with his own. He took a deep breath before saying anything. "Aly, I'm sorry," Steve softly said. "Your name is beautiful though. You can remake who Alyssa is if you try, you know. Because when I look at you, I see a beautiful, strong, independent young woman. That is who Alyssa is now."

Aly sighed softly, looking at his hand on hers. She liked the way that felt and the last thing that she wanted to do was take her hand away from his. She bit her lip softly and nodded at what he said but she didn't seem able to form words. She swallowed hard, almost as if something were stuck in her throat. Aly nodded again, chewing her lip but still unable to form a sentence. She roughly wiped her face with her other hand and then pulled her hand away from Steve's to wipe her eyes again. Without saying anything, she started to pack up the messenger bag that she had with her. She was stuffing everything in her bag so roughly that Steve got up and knelt next to her, putting his hands over hers before taking the bag from her and carefully packing her things for her.

"Thank you," Aly said, her voice barely a whisper. She looked up at him and had to wipe her eyes again because a couple of tears started to fall again. "Thank you, Steve."

He slowly stood up, holding his hand out to her. Aly put the strap of the bag on her shoulder and grabbed her apron, folding it up and putting it into the bag before closing it up. Then she put her hand in Steve's, lacing her fingers with his. He gave her hand a squeeze and started to head for the door with Aly. They didn't say anything for awhile. They walked together and slowly he saw Aly start to smile. She even swung their arms a little as they walked, laughing when she did it. Steve couldn't help but laugh at that too.

Without thinking about it, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the top of her hand. Steve saw Aly blush when he did it. He grinned, happy to see that he could make her happy. "What are your plans for the rest of the day today?" he asked with a smile.

Aly looked up at him and shrugged. "I didn't have any plans actually," she said as she walked a little closer to him. "What about you? Any plans for today?"

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "Nope. Did you want to see a movie? Or grab something to eat?" he asked. He squeezed her hand as he spoke, tempted to wrap an arm around her. He stopped himself from doing it because he wasn't sure how Aly would take it though. This was all so new to Steve. He wasn't sure what to do or how to act around Aly after all.

She suddenly let go of his hand and stepped in front of Steve. She laughed when he stopped so suddenly that he nearly ran into her. Aly took both of his hands in hers and started walking backwards in front of him. "I have a better idea," she said with a grin. "We don't have to go out to a movie or to eat. We can stop at the store and pick up what we need to make something at my place. We can even stop to rent a movie. We don't have to go out when we can stay in and have just as much fun. Don't you think?"

Steve laughed as he pulled her toward him. Then he put his arm around Aly's shoulder and tucked her in close to his body. "Isn't there a place just up the street where we can pick out a movie? I thought I saw a place like that on the way here," he said with a nod. "And there's a market right on the corner where you live."

Aly laughed, nodding. The fact that he knew that was amusing to her. He clearly played a lot more attention than she assumed. "Yes, sir," she said with another nod. "We can pick a movie first and then stop at the market before heading to my place. Sounds perfect."

Steve nodded, feeling a fluttering in his stomach as they walked. The fact that she hadn't asked him to take a step back or anything made him feel like there was something going on here and he wanted to see it through. Maybe he wasn't good with women but he was comfortable with Aly and Steve was curious to see what that might mean if they saw this thing through. Maybe he'd even be able to trust her enough to tell her about his "alter ego" one day.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Oh wow. I got reviews! So I'd like to take this time to thank **narusakuforever**, **thecatchisdeadl****iest** and **Kuris****utaruAi** for your kind words. I appreciate hearing from those of you who have been reading. Also to all the people who have favorited this story or put it on alert, THANK YOU! You're so amazing. You're the reason I'm still writing this! So thank you all again.

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While picking a movie had been harder than Steve had thought it would be, shopping at the market had been much easier. They had eventually decided on renting _Super 8_ because it sounded interesting enough, not that he knew anything about movies these days. It was hard to find a movie that both of them could agree on but _Super _8 became their compromise. Shopping for food together was much easier. At least shopping for food was something they could do without a need for compromise. They decided on spaghetti before they even got to the store and together they picked out everything they would need. They grabbed some prepackaged salad mix and a few other vegetables to add to it as well as the noodles, pasta sauce and a loaf of French bread.

Steve was now walking around the little apartment that Aly had, looking at everything she had in plain sight. While the walls were all off-white, her couch and love seat were bright red. There was a stand against one wall with the TV and DVD player and what Steve figured was the cable box. There were some DVD cases on the shelves next to the TV. The stand and coffee table were black, as was the table where Steve saw a cordless phone and a bowl that Aly set her keys inside. The kitchen, from what he could see, was all stained a cherry shade. He couldn't see much else from the living room though. The peek he got showed him black appliances as well. The whole scheme of things made sense to Steve though. It all seemed fitting to him.

He did notice that Aly had framed pictures around as well. There were a few pictures of her parents and her with her parents as well as some with her friends. She always seemed to have a smile on her face in these pictures. Seeing those happy memories captured was nice and gave him a little insight on Aly that he didn't think he had before. It was nice to see the faces of her parents and of her friends.

Steve picked up one of her with a young girl who looked quite a bit like her. The girl had the same blond hair although the little girl's hair was straight while Aly's hair had some wave to it. They both had bright blue eyes though and a similar smile although Aly had dimples and the girl in the picture didn't. He figured that the girl was Hailey. Aly and Hailey looked like they were at Coney Island from what he could tell. He set it down with a smile before wandering into the kitchen. It was barely big enough for the two of them.

Aly had already put the salad mix into a bowl. She was cutting up a cucumber and humming a little to the music that she'd put on. Her hips even moved a little to the music as she sliced the cucumber. Steve didn't want to startle Aly since she had a knife in her hand but he softly put a hand on her back to get her attention. She jumped for a moment and then laughed as she looked up at him.

"So did you want to slice some of the bread?" she asked with a little shrug. Aly figured that Steve was going to want to help so she wanted to find something simple for him to do so he didn't try to get in her way. "The water is already on the stove so we have to wait for that to boil and the sauce just needs to get warmed up. This shouldn't take long at all."

Steve was grinning at Aly, his hand softly brushing her upper back. "I can do that. Are you sure you don't need help with anything else?" he asked, giving her a suspicious look. If he didn't know any better, he would've thought that Aly was trying to keep him out of the kitchen while she cooked everything.

Aly laughed and shook her head, not sure if Steve understood the reason that she was giving him a simple task right now. "The salad is almost done. I'll toss it and by then the water should be boiling. If you wanted to set the table, I wouldn't mind. And there's a bottle of wine in the fridge. It's not the expensive stuff but I think it would be good with dinner," she said with a little shrug.

"You just happen to have a bottle of wine in your refrigerator?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her in surprise.

Aly laughed harder and pointed to one of the cabinets. "The plates are up there. The glasses are in that cabinet," she said, pointing out the other cabinet for him. She used her hip to gesture to the drawer beside her. "You'll find the silverware in there. And yes, I do just happen to have a bottle of wine in my fridge. I _am_ old enough to drink and sometimes I have a glass of wine so I happen to have a bottle of red and a bottle of white in the fridge."

Steve laughed softly as he got out two plates and set them on the table. Then he got the wine glasses and a couple of forks out, settling the table. He pulled out a chair and sat down on it backwards. He rested his arms on the back of the chair and watched as Aly tossed the salad and placed the bowl on the table. She smiled, laughing at him and shaking her head. Steve smiled and watched as she turned around to start the pasta. She handed him the jar of pasta sauce with a little smile. He chuckled and opened it for her, getting up and putting it into the other pan to heat it through even though she never asked him to do it.

"This is nice," Steve said with a little nod. He looked over at Aly with a grin on his face. They didn't have much space to cook so while they both were at the stove trying to stir things, they would occasionally bump each other, not that he was complaining. Steve liked getting to be this close to Aly.

"This is nice," Aly said, nodding. She had a soft smile on her face as she looked over at Steve for a moment. "I haven't had anyone to cook for before. Well other than my parents." She laughed but she was making it clear that she didn't do things like this. This was something special.

Steve felt that heat in his cheeks again. He knew he was probably blushing but he wasn't going to hide it. He wasn't sure he could hide it even if he wanted to anyway. He just gave Aly a nudge with his shoulder and grinned. "You've never had someone over to cook for them? Not even a friend or something?" he asked, clearly sounding surprised by that.

Aly was blushing now and she even looked away for a moment, stirring the noodles. It didn't need her full focus but she seemed to behave as if it did. Finally she looked up at Steve. "It's been awhile since I've actually spent this much time with a guy," she said softly, shrugging. "And you're the first guy I've ever had come to my apartment. I think I've only ever had my parents here actually. And Hailey."

"But I'm the first guy?"

Aly rolled her eyes and gave Steve a little nudge. "Yes, Steve Rogers. You're the first guy I've asked to come to my apartment at all," she said with a shrug. "What can I say? I'm a little old fashioned I guess. I'm not like other girls who invite guys over all the time or who will go home with any guy who asks. That's not how I was raised."

Steve smiled at the way that she puffed up with pride when she said that. It was good because from what he'd seen of this modern world, there weren't always a lot of young woman with strong morals like that. Not that he thought that she was a virgin. From the way that she spoke, it seemed like that wasn't something she'd waited until marriage for but at least she didn't sleep around. That was a reassuring thought to Steve right now.

Aly sighed as she drained the pasta in the sink before putting it in a bowl. "What? You think I'm weird, right? Most guys do when they hear that," she said with a shrug. She seemed mad that Steve might think less of her because she didn't invite guys to her apartment all the time. "I'm sorry that I'm not most girls."

Steve shook his head as he turned off the burner, bringing the sauce over to Aly. "No, it's not that at all. Actually I commend you for it," he said with a nod. "It's a good thing that you don't invite guys over all the time. I think that speaks highly of your character as a person."

Aly blushed and looked away as she got the spaghetti ready. She handed Steve the bowl with a smile though. "Looks like dinner's ready. Then we can watch that movie," she said with a quick nod. She let the rest of it slide. As much as she was willing to tell Steve anything, this wasn't something that she wanted to dwell on too long if they didn't have to. She was just happy to hear that he didn't think she was some kind of freak because she didn't sleep with random guys.

Steve nodded when she seemed to quickly change the subject, taking the bowl and putting it on the table with the salad and the slices of French bread. He pulled out her chair for her and then poured them each a glass of red wine before he sat down as well. "It smells really good," he said with a nod. "Why don't you serve yourself first? Ladies first after all."

Aly laughed and shrugged before taking some salad and then a nice helping of spaghetti. "If I would've known we were going to do this, I would've made the sauce myself and I would've made us garlic bread," she said with a shrug as she handed Steve the bowl of pasta. "Maybe next time though."

Steve was grinning as he took the bowl from her. He served himself as he spoke. "Next time? So this won't be the last time I get graced with your presence or the last time I get to see your apartment?" he asked with a chuckle. He wasn't paying attention to how much food he was taking. Steve just took some spaghetti and then reached for the salad dressing. "Are you sure you're going to want me to come back?"

Aly laughed before she started eating. She nodded at first, finishing a bite of salad before saying anything. "Yes, Steve. If I didn't like your company, I wouldn't have invited you over in the first place," she said with a smile. "Although if you eat that much, I might have to stock my fridge a little better." She laughed as she gestured with her fork toward his plate. While she expected him to eat a lot, she was a little surprised to see his plate so full. Then again Aly didn't figure that Steve had a small appetite.

Steve looked at his plate and then at Aly's and felt that heat in his cheeks again. He chuckled though at what she said and shrugged a little as he ate. "Maybe it would be a good idea to stock your refrigerator a little better," he said with a grin. "It might be good to have enough food around here to feed the both of us."

Aly laughed again, shaking her head in that amused way. She wasn't kidding though. She really was going to stock her fridge better if Steve was going to come around more. She knew she was going to need to be able to feed him. Or at least she wanted to be able to feed him. Aly watched a bit while Steve ate, slowly eating as well. He seemed to like the food and that was a huge relief to her.

"Can I just say that I'm glad that you want to have me over again some time?" Steve asked with a little smile. "Because I am. I'll have you over some time too. I promise."

"Oh. You don't have to do that," Aly said, shaking her head. She tried to hide her smile though. She liked that Steve wanted to come over again. She liked that he wanted her to come over to his place at some point as well. "I mean I'd love to come over but you don't have to have me over just because you've been here."

Steve just smiled and shook his head. He didn't want to invite her over because he'd been to her apartment. He wanted to invite her over because he wanted to share more of himself with her. She was so open and honest with him and Steve was hoping to do the same. It was hard because there was so much of his life that he couldn't explain as easily as Aly could explain her life to him. It was going to be difficult to field questions about his family and his past. He'd done all right with is so far, telling her that he used to be in the military and that he worked with the government. Maybe it was stretching the truth a bit but it was better than lying to Aly outright. That was something that he couldn't do. It wasn't in Steve's nature to lie after all and it was hard enough to omit bits of his past when he talked to Aly about his life.

She seemed to watch Steve as he ate but she didn't ask him any questions. Unlike some people, Aly didn't see a reason to pry for information. Maybe he was deep in thought but it wasn't her place to ask him what he was thinking about. It wasn't her place to press for information about his life either. As much as Aly wanted to know everything, she could tell that he was hiding something and she wasn't going to force him to tell her anything that he wasn't ready to explain. Until then she was happy to spend time with Steve and she'd get to know him at whatever pace he was ready for.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I'd like to thank my reviewers again for giving me the inspiration to keep writing. In addition to the three I mentioned previously, I'd like to thank **spiffymac0617** and **Silentflier** for your reviews. I honestly started writing this for me because the idea was stuck in my head. Now I'm writing it because the idea is still stuck in my head but also because you guys seem to be enjoying the story so far. So thank you. I don't know when the next update will come but I'll try to update soon. Thank you guys again!

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She seemed to watch Steve as he ate but she didn't ask him any questions. Unlike some people, Aly didn't see a reason to pry for information. Maybe he was deep in thought but it wasn't her place to ask him what he was thinking about. It wasn't her place to press for information about his life either. As much as Aly wanted to know everything, she could tell that he was hiding something and she wasn't going to force him to tell her anything that he wasn't ready to explain. Aly didn't think it would go over well if she tried to make Steve tell her things. She wanted him to tell her when he was ready, not when she was ready. Until then she was happy to spend time with Steve and she'd get to know him at whatever pace he was ready for.

After the movie, during which Aly spent most of the time curled up at Steve's side with his arm around her shoulders, Steve offered to help her with the dishes. She told him not to worry about it and that she'd take care of them later but he didn't feel right leaving the dishes for her to take care of after he was gone. He insisted that she let him help her do the dishes now, while he was still there. Finally Aly gave in and told Steve that he could wash and she'd dry. That way she could put away everything as it got washed.

When they walked into the kitchen, Steve watched as Aly turned on a radio and started to sway her hips to the music, humming a little to the song. In fact he was so busy staring at her that he didn't notice that she'd moved to stand next to him until she bumped him with her hip, giggling. Steve looked away quickly, feeling that heat not only in his face but burning his neck and ears a bit too. He was fairly certain that he was bright red right now but he couldn't help that. He couldn't stop it either although Steve really wished that he could stop himself from blushing all the damn time around Aly. He was starting to realize that she could make him nervous and could embarrass him even easier now than when they first met.

"What's that blush for?" Aly asked with a laugh, brushing her fingers along his jaw with a smile. She leaned against the counter then, watching as Steve started to wash the dishes. She let him finish both bowls and their plates before she started to dry anything. "You know I think it's cute that you blush like that. You shouldn't be embarrassed for watching me now and then."

Steve shook his head, chuckling. No matter what she said, he was going to be embarrassed for staring at Aly. It wasn't polite after all but it seemed like he couldn't help it. "I shouldn't be watching you like that," he softly said, embarrassed for admitting that he was even watching Aly in the first place. Steve looked over at her and smiled a little, shrugging. "You make me blush. I can't help that."

"A big military man like you gets flustered around little ol' me?" Aly asked. She batted her eyelashes in an exaggerated manner with her hand lightly resting on her chest. To be honest, she was flattered that Steve liked to stare at her and that he got embarrassed around her. Aly laughed and shook her head, giving Steve a nudge with her hip before she walked away to put away the bowls and plates that she'd already dried. "You're very sweet, Steve. I can honestly say that I've never met someone like you before. You were even nervous when I curled up at your side while we were watching the movie. Most guys would've taken advantage of that you know."

"Well I'm not most guys," Steve said as he carefully washed the wine glasses. He glanced over his shoulder at Aly as she walked back over with the dish towel tossed over her shoulder. He really couldn't seem to help himself. Steve found himself watching her often, especially when he thought that she wasn't looking.

Aly laughed when she caught Steve looking at her, nodding as she leaned against the counter again with her hands behind her back. She could've easily slid onto the counter to sit on it if she wanted but she just leaned against it and watched Steve, reaching for a wine glass as he set it in the dish strainer. Their fingers touched for a moment and Aly blushed before taking the wine glass to dry it.

"You really aren't like most guys, Steve," she said with a little nod. She was aware of that much but she didn't think that it was a bad thing at all. Aly liked that Steve wasn't like every other guy that she'd met before. "There's nothing wrong with that though."

Steve smiled at her as he washed the other glass, chuckling softly. "You're not like most girls, Aly," he said with a little nod, wanting her to know that he liked the kind of girl that she was. "There's nothing wrong with that either."

Aly put away the wine glass before reaching for the other one so she could dry it. As she dried it, she eyed Steve up a little with a pout. "How am I not like most girls?" she asked, seeming hurt by that statement.

Steve put his hands up for a moment in surrender. "I meant it as a good thing. It's not like I've talked to a lot of dames. I mean women," he said with a chuckle, shaking his head at himself as he worked on the bowl the salad had been in. "You're different in a good way. I don't know many women who could box like you can. You're confident too." He shrugged, knowing that he probably wasn't explaining his thoughts on Aly very well. Steve just wasn't that good with words. Not when it came to women.

"Dames?" Aly asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "You sound like my grandpa." She laughed but that was a term that she'd heard her grandpa use once or twice when talking about a woman. She'd never heard it from anyone else. It was funny to hear Steve use that term. "I'll take that though. If I'm different in that way, then I'll take it."

Steve looked over when Aly took the bowl and started to dry it. He watched her as he tried to wash one of the pans. She was humming again to the music and it seemed to draw his attention to her almost immediately. Aly gave him a wink as she came back from putting away the salad bowl. She went from humming to singing and while Steve didn't know the song, he felt like it was the most amazing song that he'd ever heard right now. He smiled as he rinsed the pot and put it in the dish strainer before working on the next dish. Aly just kept singing as she dried each of the dishes, putting them away as she finished drying each item. After drying the last of the dishes, she snapped the towel at Steve with a laugh.

"Give me that towel," he said with a grin, reaching for it even as she pulled it away.

He chased her into the living room and laughed as they seemed to stumble and land on the floor in a little pile. Steve wiped his hands on the bottom of Aly's shirt with a laugh and watched as she shivered a little. When she bit her lip as she looked up at him, he felt his pulse quicken and he started to breathe a little harder. Steve was laying over her and could've easily stood up at any point. Instead he leaned in a little. He felt Aly's hands on his arms, slowly sliding up toward his shoulders. He shivered a little from her touch and leaned in a little more then. He was propping himself up with his elbows as he leaned in and kissed her softly.

Aly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled Steve closer as she pressed her lips a little harder against his. He was cautious but he laid a little more weight on her as his lips lingered on hers. When he felt her softly bite his bottom lip, he quickly pulled away. Steve sat up then, rolling over so his back was leaning against the nearest wall. He watched as Aly sat up with a frown on her face. She crawled over to him on her hands and knees and then sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. It's just that …"

Aly looked up at Steve and raised her hand, placing her index finger against his lips to quiet him. She shook her head and smiled a little. "You don't want to rush anything. You're not the kind of guy to take advantage of a girl," she said with a nod. "I get it. I do. I shouldn't have done that."

Steve smiled a little as he took her hand in his. He laced his fingers with hers and kissed the top of her hand softly. "You're right. I'm not the kind of guy to take advantage of a girl," he said with a nod. "You're wrong about one thing though." When Aly gave him a curious look, Steve smiled and kissed her forehead. "You had every right to do that. I'm just not used to a girl making a move like that. That's all."

Aly laughed softly, her fingers playing with his. She looked at their hands as she spoke, a smile on her face. "Well I'll try really hard not to make the first move again. I don't need to scare you off, Captain Rogers," she said with a smirk.

Steve laughed, shaking his head in an amused way. "You won't scare me off, Alyssa. I promise you that," he said, nodding. "I think I should go though." When Aly sighed, he brought her hand to his lips again and kissed the top of her hand softly. "Do you think I could take you to lunch tomorrow? Or have you over for dinner? I'm not much of a cook but I can try to make you something this time."

Aly shifted and started to stand up, pulling on Steve's arm as she did. When he was standing up, she got on her tip toes and managed to peck his lips softly. "I think I can manage dinner. I'm starting to work in an actual classroom setting now, remember? I don't know if I could do lunch," she said with a shrug.

Steve walked with Aly to her door, smiling after she opened it and leaned against the door frame. He stood in the hall, looking her over a little with a smile. "Dinner it is. Don't be too surprised if dinner is just mac and cheese," he said with a laugh. He knew that he wasn't the best cook but he could handle making some macaroni and cheese for them. "Should I pick you up from the coffee shop?"

Aly nodded, folding her arms across her chest. "Okay, pick me up at around 5 tomorrow at the coffee shop," she said with a smile. "And don't worry about dinner. I'll be happy just to see your apartment."

Steve nodded with a laugh before turning around to head for the stairs. He heard her close her apartment door after a bit. Now he just had to figure out what to do with his day until he met up with Aly. He figured that he could try figure out what to make for dinner for them. It would have to be something simple. Steve would have to clean his apartment too. Not that it was very messy. He wasn't there that often. It didn't feel much like home to him but it was a place to sleep at night and that was all that Steve really needed. He headed home, whistling the last song that he'd heard Aly singing. It was stuck in his head but he didn't mind.


	6. Chapter 6

When Steve walked into the coffee shop, he expected to find Aly sitting at a table with her laptop open again, working on something for school. Maybe it would be some homework or some kind of lesson plans. After all, he'd figured out that she'd been trying to work on a lesson plan the last time he'd seen her so he expected to see her working on something like that again this time. Instead when Steve walked in, he saw Aly sitting in one of the comfortable looking armchairs off to the side. It was near a window and she was sitting there, cross-legged, with her cell phone in her hand and earbuds plugged into it.

She seemed to be staring off into the distance, her head bobbing to the music she seemed to be listening to at the moment. Aly did jump a little once and her attention turned to her phone after she got startled. She seemed to quickly type up a text message to someone before her phone get set on the arm of the chair. Steve stood back and watched her for a moment. He noticed her shoes were on the floor and that there was a paper cup sitting on the table next to her. When she picked it up to take a sip, he smiled a little.

That was when Aly spotted him. She took out her earbuds, a grin slowly growing on her face. She shifted to slip her shoes on before standing up. Steve looked her over a little, trying to be discreet about it, as she walked over. Her hair was down, loose waves falling on her shoulders and she was wearing a light blue button down shirt. The first few buttons were undone and he could see the lace from a white camisole peeking out from under her shirt. She actually had on a pair of high heels which gave her a good four more inches of height.

She moved gracefully in her heels as she walked over to Steve. She didn't even ask as she hooked her arm with his, a smile on her face. Her purse was over her shoulder and Aly had slipped her phone into it as she stood up. Now she had her cup in one hand while the other arm was now hooked with his. It felt good though and Steve kissed the top of her head softly as they started to walk out.

"You're punctual. I'll give you that much," Aly said as they stepped out onto the street with a laugh. "Right at 5 o'clock. I'm not surprised though."

"Would you rather I show up late?" Steve said with a chuckle. He shook his head a little at her as he led her over to his motorcycle. He couldn't help the grin on his face when Aly looked at the Harley with her eyes wide. Steve looked at Aly and shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't walk today. You don't mind riding on this with me, right?"

Aly quickly tossed out her cup, finding the nearest garbage can. Then she walked back over and looked at the motorcycle again. She ran her hand along the Harley with a little smile, shaking her head a little. She looked at Steve in awe, her eyes still wide with surprise. "This is yours?" she asked, surprise lacing her voice.

Steve chuckled and nodded, surprised and happy that Aly liked his Harley. "Yes. I take it you approve then," he said with a little grin.

Aly nodded enthusiastically, laughing. "I do. I really, really do," she said with a laugh. The tone of her voice and the grin on her face showed how excited she was right now. "My dad had a motorcycle. A Harley-Davidson actually. So did my grandfather. This is amazing."

Steve climbed onto the motorcycle and nodded for Aly to get on. "Did you need help climbing on?" he asked with a chuckle. He laughed again when she slipped onto the back of the bike without any trouble at all. He sighed softly when he felt her arms wrap around his waist as he started up the motorcycle.

They didn't talk as they rode through traffic to his apartment. Steve felt Aly rest her head against his back at one point and felt her squeeze him tighter as he weaved his way through traffic. He was careful though, making sure that Aly was safe the entire way. Neither of them had on helmets so Steve seemed to be a little cautious now that he had a passenger. He parked in front of his building and waited for Aly to climb off before getting off the bike as well. He held out his hand for her and smiled when she laced her fingers with his.

"I'm warning you now that I don't have much," Steve said as they headed up the front steps to the door. "There aren't really any pictures around or anything. Not a lot to see."

Aly shrugged as they headed into the building. She let Steve lead her to his apartment on the third floor. "It's okay. Can I ask why you don't have any pictures through? I would figure that you'd at least have some pictures," she said with another little shrug.

Steve unlocked and opened the door to his apartment. He led her inside before saying anything, not sure how to answer her. "I don't really have any family anymore," he said with a shrug, looking over at Aly as he spoke. "I don't have a lot of friends either. Nothing like you seem to have anyway. I like things simple too. This is … better." He led her into the living room and stopped at the couch. "Sit down. Please. I'll start dinner."

Aly shook her head, wrapping her arms around Steve's waist. "No. I'm helping you with dinner," she said with a nod. "You helped me with dinner. You have to let me help you."

"You let me set the table," Steve said with a chuckle, shaking his head. He couldn't help the grin on his face as he looked at Aly now. "No. You can help as much as I got to help you."

Aly sighed and let go of Steve before flopping down on the tan couch. Like her apartment, the walls were white. It was simply furnished as well with tan and brown furniture. She liked it though. It seemed like it suited Steve. No frills. No fuss. She watched as Steve walked away with a grin still on his face. When he turned on the radio, it was a station that Aly had never heard of before but she smiled as she heard the music. It was music that she heard when she was over at her grandparents' house. It was nice though. She listened for a moment before she got up to look around a little. Aly wandered the apartment a bit, looking at everything although Steve wasn't kidding when he said that his apartment was simple. He only had the necessities it seemed. That made sense though with everything that Steve had said so far about his life.

She walked back into the living room, glancing at the couch where she had been sitting for a moment, and then turned and headed for the kitchen. She didn't think twice as she hopped up on an empty counter and sat down. Steve looked over and laughed with a shake of his head. He stirred the macaroni as he looked over at her. He hadn't been kidding when he said that he was going to make her macaroni and cheese. There was a plate with already cooked, crumbled bacon on the counter, which Aly picked at a bit.

"Hey, that's supposed to be for dinner," he said, trying to give her a stern look. It didn't work because his face broke out in a grin when Aly's eyes widened and she put down some of the bacon pieces that she'd had in her hand.

"Macaroni and cheese with bacon, huh?" Aly said, looking over at the stove as Steve stirred the noodles. "Simple but good. I approve."

Steve laughed softly, his attention on the noodles for a moment. "I told you that I'm not much of a cook," he said with a shrug. "You can't expect a five-star meal out of a one-star chef."

"Oh. Now you're a chef," Aly said with a laugh. She gave him a serious look when Steve looked over at her but soon she couldn't help but laugh as well. "Just because I'm a decent cook doesn't mean that I expected you to make some huge meal for us. This is nice though. I'm not kidding. I approve."

Steve finished cooking the noodles, straining them before putting them back into the pot. He melted some block cheese in another pot and then poured it over the noodles. While he was doing that, he directed Aly around the kitchen so she could find the plates, forks and napkins. She set them on the counter because she noticed that there wasn't a table in his kitchen and then she peeked into the refrigerator, pulling out two bottles of beer. Aly opened them before she set them onto the counter as well while Steve added the bacon to their macaroni and cheese.

"And we're ready to eat," he said rather proudly, gesturing to the pot with the macaroni and cheese in it. "We can find a movie on TV and sit in the living room to eat. If that's okay."

Aly nodded as she walked over with her plate to take some of the macaroni and cheese. "I like that idea a lot," she said as she took some food. She grabbed her fork, napkin and bottle of beer and waited for Steve before heading for the living room.

"Is there anything that you want to watch?" Steve asked as he grabbed some food as well. He looked over at Aly to see her leaning against the counter, watching him. "I just mean that maybe I can find a movie you like or something."

Aly laughed and shook her head, straightening up when Steve had everything that he needed. They walked into the living room together, sitting next to each other on the couch. Aly set her plate down on the coffee table and took a drink of her beer before getting comfortable. She looked over as Steve got comfortable and grabbed the remote after setting down his plate and beer. He started to flip through the channels before stopping on the classic movie channel. He looked over at Aly who smiled a little and gave Steve a nod.

They didn't talk about much as they ate and watched the movie together. There were a few comments here and there about the movie but other than that, they didn't talk. Aly seemed to like the movie. It was one that Steve had seen in the theaters before the war. It was nice to get to share something like that with her. Just like at her apartment, once she was done eating, Aly seemed to curl up at Steve's side, resting against him. This time he was less nervous about putting an arm around her shoulders. He even pulled her closer and was rewarded with a kiss on his cheek.

When the movie was over, Aly offered to do dishes while Steve dried and while he tried to argue with her about it, he let her get away with it because it had been the deal at her place. He watched her as she washed the dishes, smiling as he heard her humming to the music that he'd chosen to play. Aly looked over at him and smiled softly. She had some bubbles on her hand from the dish pan and put some on Steve's nose with a laugh.

Steve shook his head as he wiped his nose off, laughing at her. "You're really something else. You know that?" he said with a shake of his head. He even laughed again, watching her as she shrugged her shoulders and finished up the dishes that he'd used to cook and that they'd used to eat.

Aly laughed softly. "I know that you think that I'm the most amazing person you know," she said with small smile. "I also know that it's not true. I can't be the most amazing person that you know."

Steve thought about it for a moment as he watched Aly turn off the water and empty the sink. To be honest, he did know more "amazing" people but they weren't people that he associated with that often. They weren't people that he ever wanted Aly to meet actually. Not that Steve wanted to keep that side of himself from her. It was more that he didn't want her to get caught up in it. He didn't want anyone to be able to use her against him at some point. Chances were that Aly would get caught up in it anyway. Steve knew that much but the longer he could keep her out of it, the better off they'd be. One day he'd tell her everything but he wasn't ready for that yet. He was still working up to it actually.

He turned and leaned against the counter, smiling as Aly shifted and hopped up on the counter beside him. Steve took a half step closer and nudged her a little, making Aly laugh softly. "Honestly I don't think that I know anyone who's more interesting than you. At least not anyone that I want to spend any real time with," he said with a nod and a soft chuckle. He reached for her hand and laced their fingers together, playing with their fingers. "You're an amazing … young woman. I … I really … I really like you, Alyssa."

Aly looked over at Steve with a smile. She looked at their hands for a moment, playing with his fingers now. When she looked him in the eyes, she was smiling softly. Aly almost had a shy look on her face. "I really like you too, Steve," she said, nodding. "You're amazing and sweet and very special. I don't know anyone quite like you."

"Was that just a compliment?"

Aly laughed, rolling her eyes at Steve. She took a swat at his arm with a laugh, shaking her head at him. "No, it's not. Not at all," she said, trying to sound serious.

Steve took a step closer to her, then another, until he was standing in front of her. He rested his hands on the counter on either side of her hips and he smiled when she reached for him and pulled him closer. He blushed when he felt Aly's legs wrap around him but he stepped closer to her, his hands moving to her hips. He was still smiling as he leaned in and saw Aly's eyes flutter closed as his lips got closer to hers. Steve's own eyes closed and he kissed her softly, letting his lips linger on hers. This time he could feel how she was letting him lead and even though he wasn't sure of what he was doing, one of his hands moved to cup the side of her face gently. Slowly his fingers slid into her hair as he gently head the back of her head. He felt her hands brush along his arms.

He could feel a faint smile as they kissed and it made him smile a bit too. He felt her fingertips lightly brushing up and down his back. His one hand on her hip pulled Aly a bit closer and he heard her whimper against his lips when he did it. Slowly Steve pulled back from the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. He saw her trying to catch her breath and realized that he was breathing a bit harder as well. Kissing her had made him breathless and he didn't even realize it. It seemed to happen a lot around Aly. She made him feel things that he wasn't sure he would ever feel. His fingers slowly untangled from her hair and he cupped her face gently in his hands. He lightly brushed his lips against hers again.

Aly softly sighed when he gave her that faint tease of a kiss. She was blushing softly as she looked deep into his eyes. Her hands slowly ran down Steve's arms until she was gently holding his wrists in her hands. She bit her lip softly for a moment before tilting her head just a bit to lightly kiss him this time. Steve chuckled against her lips before taking her hands in his, stepping back just a half step to really look at her.

"It's like you're glowing. I like it," he softly said, nodding as he looked her over a little. He saw her look down and he let go of her hand to tilt her chin up to get her to look at him again. "You're beautiful and amazing. I'm not just saying it either. No matter how many times I might say it to you."

Aly nodded slowly as she took his hand in hers again. "I know that, Steve. I can tell that you don't say anything that you don't mean. It's commendable," she said with a little nod. "You do know that one day I'm going to find out everything about you. You're not going to be able to hide things from me forever."

Steve cocked his head to the side a little, not sure what she meant. He wasn't as open as she was but his past was much harder to explain than hers. He knew that he could trust her and he hoped that one day he'd be able to open up to her even more but he really didn't think that he was hiding anything from her. Maybe it seemed that way to Aly but it wasn't his intent. He smiled though and nodded, knowing that if anyone would find out things about him that he hadn't shared with anyone else, it would be Aly.

"I'm not trying to hide anything from you, Aly. You have to know that," Steve said. He looked her right in the eyes when he spoke. He wanted her to know that he was telling her the truth. "My past is … complicated."

"Everything in life is complicated. Life itself is complicated," Aly said with a shrug. She was lightly brushing her thumbs against the insides of Steve's wrists as she spoke. "When you're ready to talk, I'm here to listen."

Steve smiled, nodding. He felt his own pulse quicken at her touch. When she stopped brushing her thumbs against his wrists, he started to do it to her. His thumbs lightly glided along that soft, delicate skin on the insides of her wrists. When he felt her pulse quicken at his touch, Steve smiled a little more. "When will I get to see you again?" Steve asked, clearing changing the subject.

Aly rolled her eyes a little but there was a smile at the corners of her lips. "Well I'm going to be busy the next couple of days but I'm going to try to get down to the gym to box a little. Maybe I'll run into you there," she said with a wink. She wiggled her way away from Steve and hopped off the counter.

Steve lightly grabbed her waist and pulled her back to him as she turned to walk away. He loved how she giggled when he grabbed her and how she turned in his arms, resting her hands on his chest softly as she looked up at him. Aly looked so small when she was in his arms and it made him want to protect her even more although he was starting to get the feeling that he couldn't keep things from her forever.

"Two days. I'll see you again in two days," he said with a little nod. He kissed her forehead, smiling when she laughed at him for it. "At least let me drive you home. Please."

Aly looked over her shoulder to look out the window. It wasn't quite dark yet but it was getting darker. She looked at Steve and nodded, turning in his arms and trying to walk toward the door while still in his arms. "Well come on then," she said, laughter in her voice.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve was surprised when he showed up at the gym two days later and he didn't see Aly there. Actually it was more like he was disappointed when he realized that she wasn't there. He started to tape up his hands as he walked over to the bag. He started to hit it, taking out all of his frustrations and confusion out on the punching bag. Steve was hitting it as hard as he could, not pulling any punches right now. He was alone in the gym after all. It wasn't like someone could see anything that he was doing. He knew that Nate had left for the night, telling Steve to lock up when he was done. The idea that anyone else might be in the gym never crossed his mind.

He had just broken the first bag and was taking it down when Aly poked her head out of the office with a little smile. She watched him for a moment, waiting for Steve to notice. He looked over when he felt someone watching him as he hung the second bag. He had three others lined up on the floor waiting in case he needed them. As soon as he laid eyes on Aly though, he forgot all about the punching bags. She slowly walked out of the office with a little grin on her face and Steve couldn't help but blush a bit. He started to unwind the tape on his hands as Aly walked toward him.

"What's the occasion?" he asked, gesturing to her outfit. Steve was smiling though because she looked amazing but he wondered why she was 'dressed up' right now.

Aly looked down at the dress that she was wearing. She even did a little twirl for him in it with a laugh. "I thought that maybe we could go somewhere nice tonight for dinner," she said with a little shrug. She walked closer to him with a smirk. "Do you like it?"

Steve looked Aly over, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt the heat rising up his neck. He knew that he was blushing even more but it wasn't like he could stop it either. It seemed to happen a lot around Aly and Steve was starting to think that it was a good thing. "Uh, well, I … I do," he said, nodding. "I've never seen you in a dress before. You look … wow."

Aly laughed softly as she sat down on the bench next to the bag that Steve brought with him. She peeked inside and then looked at him with a little smile. "I don't look that amazing. Stop it," she said, blushing a bit. "I reserved us a table at Il Buco. I thought it might be nice."

Steve gave her a little smile and nodded. "I'm not exactly dressed for something like that though. Am I?" he asked with a chuckle.

Aly looked Steve over, slowly, giggling when she saw his face turn bright red. "You need a sports coat. You have one, right?" she said, cocking her head to the side a bit. When he nodded, she gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "So we'll stop by your apartment so you can get that after you grab a shower. Did you want to shower at home? I don't mind waiting either way."

Steve laughed and shook his head. "I'll grab a shower here and then we can stop to get my sports coat before we go," he said with a little nod. He brushed his fingers against her cheek and smiled when he was rewarded with a smile and a blush. When he started to walk away, he could feel Aly's eyes on him. Steve turned around and gave her a bright smile and a wave, laughing when she quickly looked away. He could see that she was blushing and he liked that he could do that to her. Especially with how easy it was for her to make him blush. "I won't be but a minute."

When he came back, Aly was still waiting for him, sitting on the bench. He watched her for a moment as she picked some lint off of her dress. It was a beautiful dress. Red and slightly fitted and more amazing than anything he'd ever seen on someone before. Her hair was down and in loose curls. She had just enough makeup on to enhance her natural beauty. Steve was in awe as he watched her. He walked slowly over to her and she didn't seem to notice until the bench creaked a bit as he sat down next to her.

Aly jumped and looked over at Steve, laughing at herself. "Oh, hey there," she said with a grin. "Stealthy military man, huh?"

Steve chuckled, smiling at Aly. "Maybe. Just a little bit," he said with a nod. "I picked up a skill or two in the Army after all."

Aly slowly stood up, smoothing out her dress before holding out her hand to Steve. "You ready to get that sports coat so we can go to dinner?" she asked with a little grin. "I don't want to miss our reservations."

Steve chuckled and put his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together as he started to lead them outside. "We don't want to miss our reservations," he said, nodding. He held the door open for her and led her to his motorcycle. He saw her eying it and laughed. This time Steve helped her on before climbing on. "I hope we don't ruin that dress of yours."

Aly blushed and leaned in to kiss his cheek softly. "I hope we don't either. I don't have anything else to wear otherwise," she said, almost whispering the words in Steve's ear.

He shivered a little at her words and felt that heat growing. He knew that he was blushing quite a bit right now. Aly giggled at that and he actually sighed when he felt her lips on the back of his neck. It was just a soft brush of her lips but it was an amazing feeling. Steve wished he knew how to put into words what he felt for her but he thought that she knew. This wasn't just "like" that he was feeling but Steve wasn't sure how to say the words just yet.

* * *

Steve had his hand on the small of Aly's back as they walked into the restaurant. The hostess led them to a table. It was on a quieter side of the restaurant, something that Aly had hoped for. She smiled when Steve pulled out the chair for her, scooting the chair closer to the table with a smile before he walked to sit across from her. He looked around, clearly impressed with Aly's choice of restaurant. It seemed like the perfect place for a date and this was clearly meant to be a date. There were couples at other tables, leaning in and talking intimately. Others were holding hands across the table as they ate and talked. It made him a little nervous because he wasn't sure he'd meet Aly's expectations when it came to a date like this.

"So I take it you decided to be a modern, independent woman and you took it upon yourself to take me out to dinner tonight," Steve said with a chuckle.

Aly nodded, smiling as she picked up her menu. "Well a girl could go crazy waiting for you to ask her out to dinner like this," she said with a soft laugh. The fact that he realized that she was 'making the first move' right now surprised her. It surprised her a little more that Steve was okay with it. Perhaps he was a bit old-fashioned but Aly liked that about him.

Steve looked down at the menu, opening it up and taking it all in. He knew that there was a blush on his face. He could feel the heat after all. He even rubbed a hand on the back of his neck as if he could stop it from happening although it was a futile effort. When he looked up, he saw Aly smiling at him and Steve had to smile back. It was hard not to after all.

He nodded to the menus that they had before speaking. As he looked at them, he found that he wasn't sure what to even order in a place like this. It wasn't like Steve had actually been on a date like this before after all. He never really had the chance. "Any idea on what you're going to order?" he asked.

Aly looked at the menu again and shrugged a bit. She had taken the time to examine it for a moment before she looked at Steve. "What about the croquettas to start?" she said with a little shrug, not sure of what to order either. "After that, I'm not sure."

Steve chuckled and shook his head. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "The menu is all kind of screwy to me. I don't even know what half of this is," he said as he gestured to the menu, sounding a little exasperated although there was a smile on his face.

Aly laughed, shaking her head at Steve. She looked at the menu again and had to agree that it was a bit confusing. She knew what some of it was but not all of it. "How about we get out of here and go to Grimaldi's in Brooklyn and grab a pizza instead?" she asked with a little smile. It sounded like a much better idea to her right now. "I'll even let you pick what we get."

Steve chuckled and pushed back from the table, putting his napkin on the table and walking over to pull out Aly's chair for her. He held out his hand to her with a grin. "Let's go. I think that a pizza sounds good right about now," Steve said, squeezing Aly's hand once she placed her hand in his.

He gave the hostess a little nod as they walked out. Steve noticed that they got a few looks from some of the other patrons but he wasn't worried about it. Maybe a place like this worked for them but it wasn't his thing. As nice as the restaurant was, he was a simple guy so going to a pizza place seemed like a good date to him.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** As you may have noticed, updates happen sporadically so hang in there. They might come as quickly as one a day for awhile and then we might go a few days without anything at all. I'm just trying to keep behind myself with the updates. I want to have a couple of chapters done before I post something new. Anyway I want to do another thank you to my reviewers because you all do help more than you know with keeping me wanting to write. So thank you to the following readers/reviewers: **narusakuforever**, **thecatchisdeadliest**, **KurisutaruAi**, **spiffymac0617**, **wishfulhamadryad **and **NeroLieto** as well as a special thank you to **silentflier** for all those reviews and pushes to keep going. Thank you all for reading and thank you to those of you who have this story on alert or who have favorited this story as well. You all are amazing!

* * *

After they shared a cheese and sausage pizza at Grimaldi's, Steve got them some strawberry ice cream before he took Aly home. All in all, the date had gone well although it hadn't been what Aly had hoped for. She was glad that Steve seemed to have enjoyed himself though. That had been the point of the date. He parked his motorcycle in front of her building to walk her up to her apartment but instead Aly sat down on the stoop and patted the spot next to her to get Steve to sit down with her. She hugged his arm with both her arms and leaned her head on his shoulder. She was content to just sit with Steve for awhile right now and since he didn't seem to mind, that was just what Aly planned to do.

"I'm sorry I picked such a terrible place for our first official date," Aly softly said, sounding a bit upset. She looked up at him, her head still on his shoulder.

Steve laughed and shook his head, not sure why Aly seemed so upset about how tonight went. He brushed some hair out of her face with his other hand and kissed her forehead softly. He didn't want her to feel like she'd done something wrong because it wasn't a big deal to him. In the end, it had turned out to be a pretty amazing evening actually. "It wasn't a bad place. Just not my cup of tea," he said with a chuckle. Steve even gave her a shrug. "I felt like a fish out of water there. Grimaldi's was good though."

Aly softly laughed, nodding. She had to agree that their second restaurant was much better than the first. While Il Buco seemed like a great date choice, it really had been ill-suited for the two of them. It was Grimaldi's that had been a better fit. They both felt comfortable there and the food was more than amazing. She'd always loved pizza from Grimaldi's actually. "I'm glad you liked going there. It's one of my favorite pizza places," she said with a nod. Aly sat up a bit more now although she was still hugging his arm with her arms. "I had wanted it to be special. It didn't turn out the way I'd imagined it."

"And what part of tonight wasn't special?" Steve asked, looking surprised. He didn't see how she could say that tonight hadn't gone well. Everything seemed perfect to him. "We went to a great place to eat, shared a great pizza and some great ice cream and now we're getting to sit and talk and enjoy the nice weather. It doesn't get better than this if you ask me."

Aly looked away, trying to hide her blush. Her hand slipped down his arm until she could lace her fingers with his. She looked down when she felt Steve playing with her fingers and then looked up at him, smiling softly and giggling. It was at moments like this that she seemed to get so lost in him and Aly felt like that feeling was mutual.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt his fingertips lightly brushing her cheek and when he leaned in and softly pressed his lips to hers, Aly let go of his hand. Her fingertips lightly brushed his cheek and slowly moved to the back of his head, running through his hair a bit. She smiled against his lips when she felt Steve's fingers tangling in her hair as well. She kissed him a bit harder and felt him respond by parting his lips slowly.

Aly's tongue lightly brushed against Steve's lips. He kissed her a bit harder then, the tip of his tongue teasing hers. Slowly her tongue slid into his mouth, exploring his mouth and playing with his tongue. When she felt him relax and give in to the kiss a bit more, Aly giggled against his lips. Steve pulled her closer, one hand on her hip as he tugged on it to try to press her body closer to his. This time it was Aly's turn to pull back. Slowly she pulled back from the kiss until her forehead was softly resting on his. She brushed her nose against Steve's, a soft smile on her lips as she stared into his eyes.

"Did you want to come up?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Part of Steve wanted to say yes when she asked him that but part of him felt like it wasn't a good idea. He didn't want her to think that sex was all that he wanted from her right now. That wasn't what he was looking for after all. The thing was, however, that he did want to come up to her apartment with her. Steve just couldn't bring himself to say yes. He cupped her face in his hands and softly kissed her before standing up. "Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked. When he saw the disappointment on Aly's face, Steve knelt down in front of her. He was cupping her face in his hands again, his thumbs gently brushing her cheekbones.

"It's okay, Steve. Really," Aly said with a nod. She grabbed his wrists with her hands and slowly pulled his hands away from her face with a soft smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You … you have to understand …"

Aly put her fingers to his lips and shook her head. She knew that he had some explanation for everything but she didn't need to hear it. She knew that Steve wasn't like most guys and he didn't need to remind her of that. Aly wanted Steve to understand that everything was all right. No explanations needed.

"I said it's all right. Steve, please," Aly said as she brushed the back of her hand against his cheek. She was smiling as she stood, noticing that he stood up as well. Steve was standing on the sidewalk. Aly was on the first step but with her high heels on, she was eye level with him right now. "I'll see you tomorrow. It's Saturday and if you don't have any plans, I'd like to take you somewhere. It might mean spending the whole day with me though. I don't want you to agree to this if you don't think you can handle hanging out all day with me."

Steve chuckled and gave her a little shrug. He wondered what she might have in mind. Whatever it was, it sounded like fun to him already. He was too curious not to say yes actually. "I don't have any plans so I think I can manage that," Steve said with a quick nod. "Do I get to know where you want to take me?"

Aly laughed and shook her head. She was smiling now and couldn't seem to stop smiling. "It's a surprise. You'll see," she said with another laugh, tapping the tip of his nose with her fingertip. "Meet me here at 9 AM. I expect you'll be on time."

Steve chuckled and nodded. He caught her hand and kissed the top of it before letting go of her hand, chuckling again when he saw a light blush on Aly's cheeks after he kissed her hand. "Yes, ma'am," he said as he took a half step away from her with a grin. "I'll be here. You certainly better be ready."

Aly laughed as she started up the stairs with a grin on her face. "I'll be ready. You're the one who's going to have to worry about whether or not you're ready," she said as she reached the top of the stairs. She turned around, grinning at Steve. Aly put her hands on her hips, trying to look as intimidating as possible. "You know, one day I'll get you to come up with me, Steve Rogers."

Steve chuckled, watching as she opened the front door. He didn't say anything until she'd headed into the building. "Maybe one day you will. Just not today," he said to himself with a shake of his head.


	9. Chapter 9

When Steve pulled up in front of Aly's apartment building, he had to chuckle. She was sitting on the front stairs, patiently waiting for him to arrive. This time she was the one who was being incredibly punctual, which just made Steve laugh. He looked her over as she stood up and dusted off her jeans. She was in a light blue v-neck t-shirt, skinny jeans and some sneakers. Her hair was in pigtails and she didn't have any makeup on. Steve thought she looked beautiful although maybe younger than her 21 years. Still as she walked toward him, he felt his heart skip a beat and his breath catch in his throat. When she smiled, he gave her a wave and then gestured at her with a smile.

Aly gestured to herself as well and laughed. "Not anything close to what I had on last time, huh?" she said, laughing, as she climbed onto the back of his motorcycle. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back. "How about you take me to Coney Island, Captain Rogers?"

Steve chuckled as he looked out at the street so he could pull out into traffic. "So that's the surprise?" he asked, glancing back at her for a moment before he pulled into traffic.

Aly laughed, giving Steve a little squeeze around his waist. She softly kissed his shoulder. "Maybe that's not the only surprise. C'mon, soldier," she said with a softly laugh. "Just drive us to Coney Island and we'll see how this day goes."

* * *

Steve laughed as Aly started to drag him in the direction of the Cyclone. He had bad memories of that roller coaster but if Aly wanted to ride it, he'd get on. He couldn't seem to tell her 'no' after all, at least not all of the time. He wanted to avoid this ride altogether but for her, he'd ride it. The whole place was a bit different than he remembered it being but some things never changed. The smells and the sounds were still so similar to what he remembered the last time he'd been here. The sights, however, were a bit different. Still Steve remembered what it had felt like to ride The Cyclone with his best friend and he certainly felt some apprehension now.

Aly laughed as she saw the look on Steve's face when they got in line for the roller coaster. Clearly he wasn't looking forward to getting on the Cyclone with her. She, however, was practically bouncing as she waited in line with him. "You're looking a little green there, Rogers," she said with a laugh, poking him in the side. It was funny to see how nervous Steve looked right now. Aly never would've guessed that he would've been afraid of riding the Cyclone. "You scared? Is the big, strong military man scared of a little bitty roller coaster?"

"I'm not scared," Steve said, shaking his head. He did his best to keep his voice from betraying him right now. He thought it might crack a little if he wasn't careful but thankfully his voice didn't betray him.

He watched as people climbed into the cars to get on the ride next. He swallowed hard as he saw the ride starting and then looked at Aly. She had a bright smile on her face as they took a few steps closer to the front of the line. Steve wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, whispering in her ear. "Can't we ride something else first?"

Aly looked up at him and giggled, shaking her head. She could tell that he didn't want to get on the roller coaster but this was the one ride that she knew that they couldn't miss. "No. No way, mister," she said with a grin, turning around in his arms. Now she really was bouncing as they waited for their turn on the Cyclone. "The Cyclone is first. Then we can check out the other rides. Look at it this way. I didn't make you eat anything before we got in line. I made that mistake once. Worst day ever. Hailey thought it was hilarious though."

"You threw up on this ride before?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow at her. That wasn't something he was expecting to hear but it made him feel a bit better about the fact that he'd thrown up on the Cyclone before.

Aly blushed and shrugged, looking at the line in front of them. She wouldn't have told just anyone about that but she trusted Steve. It was easy to tell him things and it seemed like admitting that she'd thrown up after riding the Cyclone made him feel better right now so she didn't mind so much that she'd told him.

"I did," she said with a soft laugh. Aly shook her head a little as she said it, feeling her face flush a little although she continued with her story anyway. "It was embarrassing as hell. In my defense Hailey and I had just gone to Nathan's before getting in line. We had hotdogs with the works on them. Plus I had some cotton candy and nachos. I was completely stuffed with junk food and then my stomach did all sorts of flips. I learned my lesson. I don't eat before I ride this one anymore."

* * *

Aly was holding Steve's hand, her arm hooked with his, as they walked away from the roller coaster. "Now that wasn't so bad. Was it?" she said with a laugh.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "No. You're right. It was fun," he said as he started to lead her toward the games. "Did you want to play a couple of games or find another ride first?"

Aly looked up at him, batting her eyelashes. "I want to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl," she said with a little pout. She even started to steer them in the direction of the ride.

Steve laughed, knowing that he had no choice. He was going to let her decide where they went and what they rode on and what they did next. Aly could be a bit of a force of nature it seemed and he was willing to let her have her way. It really wasn't that bad after all. So far Aly was having a good time and that was all that Steve was concerned with.

"You have a thing for 'thrill rides', don't you?" he asked with a chuckle. It was clear that she liked the rides that got your adrenaline pumping. That was actually interesting to him. Steve never would've pegged Aly for an adrenaline junkie. "After that, then what?"

"What about the sling shot?" she asked, trying to hide her smile. She wiggled her eyebrows at him when she said it and tried not to laugh. Maybe she was picking the rides on purpose to see which ones Steve wasn't comfortable riding and which ones he was okay with. Mostly Aly was trying to pick her favorites out while he was still willing to let her pick the rides. She would've let Steve pick a ride or two if he wanted but Aly wanted to pick the fun rides while she could.

She saw Steve make a little face at Aly's current pick and couldn't help but laugh then. Clearly he wasn't excited about getting on any more of the thrill rides. Aly was all for playing some games though so she was going to let Steve get his way this time. "Okay. Fine," she said with a bit of a sigh, shrugging. "The Tilt-A-Whirl next and then we'll grab a snack and play some games."

Steve shook his head, laughing. He didn't want her to do anything that she didn't want to do but he did want to get on a few rides that weren't going to possibly make him throw up. "How about we ride the Wonder Wheel?" he asked. "After the Tilt-A-Whirl."

Aly was grinning when he said that, nodding. "We're getting in one to the cars that swings. It's more fun that way," she said with a laugh. "There are bumper cars too. Then games and snacks. We can even go to the beach for a bit if you wanted."

Steve chuckled softly as he headed to buy their ride tickets. "You have it all planned out, huh?" he said before kissing the top of her head. He paid for a few tickets for them and let Aly lead them to the Tilt-A-Whirl.

"No, not really," she said with a shrug. She looked up at him as they got in the much shorter line for this ride. "I figured we'd ride some rides and play some games and in between we can grab snacks. As for the beach, we don't have to go. I'm happy to just enjoy the amusement parks."

"Are you trying to take me on all the rides you go on with Hailey?" Steve asked with a little smirk. He gave her a wink when he saw the surprised look on her face. "I just figured that was what you were trying to do."

Aly laughed and took a couple of steps forward as people got on the ride. She and Steve were asked to wait for the next time around. She watched as the ride started, then leaned against the rail as she looked at Steve. "Well yeah," she said with a little shrug. "Hailey and I usually hit up these rides in this order. You can't tell me that you're not having fun though."

Steve laughed, nodding. "I am. I'm having a very good time," he said as he held out his hand to Aly. As soon as she put her hand in his, he twirled her and pulled her close. He was grinning when she giggled and kissed her forehead just before they were allowed on the ride. He let her pick where they were going to get in and smiled as Aly got settled next to him.

"Are you ready?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. When Steve gave her a confused look, she laughed softly. "I like making this thing spin really fast. You better be ready. When I say lean, lean with me. It'll spin faster that way."

"What is with you and wanting to ride things that go fast?" Steve asked with a chuckle as the lap bar got pulled down on them. Aly just shrugged and started to laugh as the ride got started up. He laughed too and watched Aly so he knew when to lean with her since she wanted to make this thing spin as fast as possible.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Wow, guys. There you go impressing me with all those reviews! I have no choice to but to thank each of you yet again because you've inspired me to continue writing. So thank you so much to the following reviewers: **Silentflier**, **blown-transistor**, **thecatchisdeadliest**, **chaospayne**, **Bellarase**, **powerofkisses**, **NeroLieto**, **Wishfulhamadyrad**, **spiffymac0617**, **KurisutauruAI** and **narusakuforever**. Another thank you to all the people who have favorited or put this story on alert. I write for all of you as much as I do for my reviewers! You're loved as well!

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Aly looked at the big purple teddy bear that Steve was carrying for her right now and laughed. She hadn't understood why he'd been so set on winning it for her and once he won it, Aly had no idea what they were going to do with the bear in the first place. It was a little too much in her opinion. Aly figured that she could always give it away to a children's hospital but right now she wondered how they were going to get it home in the first place.

"How are we going to get that think home?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Steve looked at the giant bear and then at Aly and laughed. The funny thing was that when he'd been trying to win the big purple teddy bear for Aly, he hadn't thought about how they'd get it home at the end of the day. He had been determined to win her the biggest bear they had. Now that the sun was starting to set it was time to consider how this was going to work. They'd spent the day riding rides and playing games and eating junk food and now that the day was winding down, Steve had to laugh at himself over this one stuffed animal that he had been so set on winning for Aly.

"We're not going to be able to take it with us," he said with a chuckle. "Are we?" When Aly shook her head, laughing softly, he knew that he was right. Steve stole a bite of the candy apple that she was eating and looked around for a moment. He pointed out a girl who looked to be about Hailey's age. "Do you think that she'd want it?"

Aly looked over after taking another bite of the apple and nodded. She covered her mouth, talking while she still had food in her mouth. "We can ask," she said with a quick smile before she finished chewing up the bite that she'd taken.

Steve stopped the girl's mother first to ask if it was all right and was surprised when the woman gave him a strange look. Maybe it was because he was walking around with Aly, who currently looked to be in her teens because of her hair and lack of makeup. Maybe it was because he was asking if he could give her daughter a teddy bear. He wasn't sure what the case was. All Steve knew was this woman didn't seem to be so happy with the idea of Steve talking to her daughter.

Aly stepped in quickly though and talked to the girl's mother and then nodded to the girl. The mother warmed up to Aly rather quickly and Steve let Aly take the lead on getting this sorted out. Clearly it worked because she walked over with Steve and asked the girl if she wanted the bear, explaining that there was no way for her to take it home but that she and her boyfriend thought that they should give the bear to someone who would give it a good home. The girl giggled a little when she looked at Steve and smiled, nodding.

After dropping off the bear with its new owner, Aly laced her fingers with Steve's and started to walk toward the beach. She tossed out the candy apple, which she and Steve had finished just before they reached the sand. They found a place to sit on the sand and watched the sunset together. Steve wrapped an arm around Aly's shoulder and she snuggled in close to him, her arms wrapping around his waist and her head lightly resting on him.

They sat like that for a long moment, not saying anything. They both watched the sunset over the water although they each stole glances at each other from time to time. Whenever she looked at Steve, Aly smiled and he did the same. She giggled a few times when Steve looked over at her. She even caught him staring at her at one point, which made him blush. It was a comfortable silence though, which was only broken once the sun was down. Aly looked up at the sky and sighed softly before looking at Steve with a soft smile on her face.

"I love how you can really see the stars at night out here," she said with a little nod toward the sky. She was tempted to lay back with him but Aly was afraid she might actually fall asleep if she wasn't careful. She felt so relaxed and happy out here with Steve after all.

Steve looked up when she said something about the stars and smiled a little when he realized that she was right. It was hard to see the stars at night in the city. All those city lights seemed to drown out so many of the stars in the sky. While they weren't seeing even half of the stars in the night sky, it was pretty amazing right now. It was something that Steve wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't pointed it out to him. He watched as Aly stood up and tried to dust as much of the sand off of her jeans as she could, holding out her hand to him after.

If they were going to stick around, Aly wanted to get some dinner. She didn't want to fall asleep before this date was officially over after all. "Let's grab something to eat and head home," she said with a smile. While she couldn't really help Steve up, Aly's smile grew when Steve put his hand in hers. He laced his fingers with hers and brought her hand to his lips, kissing the top of her hand before getting up and dusting himself off as well. The feeling of him holding her hand was enough of a rush but when he kissed the top of her hand, Aly knew that her face was a bit flushed. There wasn't another person who could seem to do that to her either but there was certainly something special about Steve Rogers.

"What are you thinking about grabbing to eat?" he asked, giving her a little nudge with a laugh. He couldn't imagine how Aly could eat another bite but then again, she seemed to be surprising him a lot today. "Aren't you stuffed from all the junk we ate today?"

Aly laughed and shook her head. "Please. We had a couple of Nathan's hotdogs, some cotton candy, funnel cakes, candy apples," she said, ticking off a few of the things that they'd eaten. She even rolled her eyes at Steve, softly laughing. "That's nothing compared to the way that Hailey and I usually eat when we come to Coney Island. We usually have pizza and ice cream and salt water taffy too. Probably some other things as well."

Steve laughed, shaking his head at her as they walked back up toward the boardwalk. He couldn't see how she could possibly eat all of that and still look the way that she did. Still, if she was hungry and wanted to grab something more substantial than anything they'd eaten today, Steve wasn't going to tell Aly no. "That still doesn't answer my question though," he said with a soft smile. "What do you want to eat that you haven't already had today?"

Aly looked around a little, trying to get her bearings. Once she figured out where they were, she knew just where she wanted to go. "On Neptune Avenue there's a place called Wildwood. They have amazing chicken and barbecue. Sound good?" she asked as she tried to figure out which direction they needed to go in from where they were.

It didn't take long for Steve to figure out where they should head and he got them pointed in the right direction, walking slowly with Aly. "That sounds good. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes or something like that, right?" he said, glancing around to see if he saw the place as they got closer to the street that Aly had mentioned.

"No, no. Two pieces of chicken with mac and cheese and potato wedges," Aly said with a laugh, nodding. "Or a quarter rack of ribs with mashed potatoes and gravy and sweet corn. Then for dessert, peach cobbler with ice cream." She licked her lips as she said it, a smile on her face. "And it doesn't matter if you get the buttermilk biscuit or the cornbread with your meal because both are really good."

Steve laughed, shaking his head again. She never ceased to amaze him. It was incredible the things that she was interested in or something like this, the amount of food that she could eat. She was good at surprising him in the most amazing ways. "And which do you suggest I have when we get there?" Steve asked with a soft smile.

Aly shrugged, smiling when she could smell the food. She looked around a little and spotted the restaurant, leading them there. When Steve opened the door for her, she walked through and gave him a little nod. "I think that you should figure that out on your own but trust me when I say that you won't be disappointed," she said, nodding as they found a place to sit. "No matter what you pick, it'll be really good. The food here is amazing."

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They ultimately decided to get a half rack of ribs and a half of a chicken to share between the two of them. It just seemed like a good way to go so they got to have both chicken and ribs since Aly said that they were both good. She let Steve pick the sides and he went with the mashed potatoes and gravy and sweet corn. Aly insisted that they get the buttermilk biscuits then and Steve had to admit that the food had been amazing. They even got a piece of peach cobbler with ice cream to share for dessert. By the time they finished, they both said that they felt stuffed. They walked it off though as they headed back to his motorcycle. It was a slow walk though, something that neither of them seemed to mind.

Aly wrapped her arms tightly around Steve after they got on the motorcycle, humming softly as he weaved his way through traffic. She didn't have a reason for humming right now. Aly was just so happy. She couldn't seem to help herself. It was the only way, right now, that she could seem to get across those feelings of happiness and Steve seemed to like hearing her humming.

Steve took his time making his way back to Aly's apartment and by the time he pulled up in front of her building, he realized that she had managed to fall asleep against him. How she had managed to hang on and still drift off to sleep was a wonder to him but she was still holding tight as he shifted a little to try to wake her up. He was almost afraid to wake her up since he didn't want Aly to fall off his motorcycle. Steve didn't want anything to happen to her after all.

"Are we home?" Aly asked, sleepiness lacing her voice. "I didn't fall asleep, did I?"

Steve chuckled and nodded a bit. "Actually I think you just fell asleep when we got here," he said as he climbed off the motorcycle. He scooped Aly up before she could climb off as well. "Let me tuck you in."

Aly gave him a sleepy smile. "My keys are in my front pocket," she said before covering her mouth as she yawned. She wrapped her arms around Steve's neck as he carried her up the front stairs. "Stay with me, Steve?"

He looked down at her as her eyes fluttered a little. It was clear that she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open right now and he didn't want to keep her awake any longer than she needed to be. Steve was careful as he shifted her in his arms, grabbing her keys out of her pocket and getting the front door open. "You need to sleep," Steve said, his voice almost a whisper as he carried her up to her apartment.

"Stay with me? Please?" Aly asked again. She even pouted a little as she looked at him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Steve shifted her in his arms again as he had to unlock her apartment door, paying attention to the door for a moment so he could get it open for them without dropping Aly. He looked at her sleepy face as he closed the door behind them, still careful not to drop Aly. Finally he nodded. "I'll stay," he said with a little smile. "I promise."

Aly smiled a little and nuzzled her nose in Steve's neck. "Good. Now you have to stay," she said with a sleepy giggle. "You promised."

He carried her to her bedroom and carefully laid her down. When Aly started to pull off her jeans, Steve turned around to give her some privacy. He heard her laugh and then heard her shift in bed to make room for him as well. He turned to see Aly had slipped her legs under the blanket and she was patting the spot next to her with a little smile. She still looked a bit sleepy but she seemed alert enough right now that she wasn't going to let Steve sneak out while she fell asleep.

"You can't sleep in those clothes and if you thought I'd be sleeping in my jeans, you were mistaken," Aly said as she patted the spot next to her again. "Come on, Steve. Don't be so shy for once."

Steve looked at the bed and then took off his pants, his face flushing when Aly didn't look away as he did. He paused for a moment and then pulled off his t-shirt as well. He saw Aly take a deep, shaky breath and Steve knew that he had to be blushing quite a bit right now. He climbed into bed with Aly slowly though, pulling the blanket up as soon as he was laying next to her. Aly looked over at him and immediately scooted herself closer. Steve laid back and felt Aly lay half of her body on his, resting her head on his shoulder. Her hand softly rested on his chest, right over his heart. He knew that she had to be able to feel how it was racing right now and with her so close, Steve could tell that Aly's pulse was racing a bit too. Still it didn't seem to take long before her eyes closed and she fell asleep in his arms.

For awhile he laid there, his fingers gently playing with her hair as he watched her sleep. She looked so peaceful. Not once did he consider moving from where he was. It was just too comfortable to feel some of her weight on his body, to feel her pressed so close to him. Steve kissed her forehead softly, smiling as she shifted a little in her sleep. He held her closer and slowly closed his own eyes before drifting off to sleep as well.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** And one more time I'd like to thank all my readers for sticking with me. Every single one of you who have favorited or put this story on alert amaze me! I can't believe you enjoy reading my story. Also for my reviewers, thank you for taking the time to say a few words about my story. I appreciate it more than I can say right here! So thank you to: **narusakuforever**, **thecatchisdeadliest**, **spiffymac0617**, **KurisutaruAi**, **Silentflier**, **Wishfulhamadryad**, **NeroLieto**, **powerofkisses**, **Bellarase**, **chaospayne**, **blown-transistor** and a nameless guest. Some of you have reviewed multiple times and I appreciate it. Thank. You. So. Much.

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When Aly woke up the next morning, she had to rub her eyes a couple of times because she didn't believe the sight that she was waking up to right now. To see Steve lying next to her was incredible. In some ways she had felt like it was all an amazing dream yet here she was, lying in bed with Steve. It was more wonderful than she could put into words. It immediately put her in a good mood although she was never much of a morning person. She always had a hard time waking up in the morning. Today, she had a feeling that she was going to have a hard time getting out of bed for other reasons.

Aly sat up a little, softly laughing when Steve opened one eye to take a peek at her and then pulled her down again with a little smile on his face. If he didn't want her to move, Aly wasn't going to be the one to argue with him after all. She liked the idea of staying like this for a few more moments. Actually she thought that it would be the perfect way to spend an entire day. The thing was that she already had plans in her head on what she wanted to do today. Aly just had to get Steve on board with her plans although she didn't think it would be too difficult to convince him to spend another whole day with her. She laid back down, resting her head on Steve's chest with a smile. Aly looked up at him, her smile growing when she saw him looking down at her too with a smile turning up the corners of his lips.

Steve played with Aly's hair as she looked up at him, absent-mindedly twirling a few strands around his fingers as he watched her. He was clearly in a good mood this morning and so was Aly. This was something that he could learn to enjoy waking up to although Steve was too afraid to say those words out loud. The last thing that he wanted to do was to spook her. "Well good morning, ma'am," he said with a soft chuckle. His smile grew when she laughed softly and shifted to kiss him.

"Good morning, Steve," she said, sitting up a bit. "I'm going to grab a shower but you better not leave until we've had breakfast." She sat up even more, sitting cross-legged on the bed next to Steve. Aly didn't want this time with him to end so she was trying her best to prolong it if she could. It was the longest time that they'd spent together so far and if she could make it last a little longer, she was going to do it.

Steve sat up too, nodding. It wasn't like he wanted to be anywhere else after all. This was all that he wanted, to spend time with her. He brushed some of Aly's hair from her face and kissed her softly. "I'll be here. I promise," Steve said with a smile.

Aly was blushing as she climbed out of bed, having to climb over Steve in the process. She swore that she heard him let out a little growl when she did that although that might've been wishful thinking on her part. She glanced over at Steve as she went through her dresser and then the closet to grab some clothes. He watched her for a moment but tried not to stare too much. Of course that seemed to be a difficult task. After she left the room, Steve stretched and slowly climbed out of bed as well. He pulled on the pants and t-shirt that he'd had on yesterday and made his way into the living room. He heard the shower turn on and smiled a little, knowing that he had some time to look around a little better. The first time that he'd come by her apartment, he hadn't looked around as much as he would've liked.

He did notice that the only room in the apartment that she'd bothered to paint was her bedroom and that was a pale blue. The color was calming actually, which made sense. Her bedding had been multiple colors although her sheets were the same pale blue as the walls in her room. The floors were all hardwood although Aly had a few throw rugs on the floor in the hall and in the living room as well. It was nice and the place felt very homey to Steve. It also seemed to fit Aly because everything had its place, of course, but it was also a bit eclectic. He could tell, on closer inspection, that not all of the furniture actually matched. They might be in the same hue but that didn't mean that the pieces came from a set.

He was still listening for the shower as he walked around the living room now, picking up some of the photographs she had sitting around to really look at them this time. Steve could easily tell which pictures were of her family and which were of her friends but no matter what picture he looked at, everyone in the pictures looked so happy. It made him wish that he had pictures like that to share with people. There was just one problem with that. His family was gone and actually had been since before he became Captain America, super soldier. His friends were gone as well, either long dead or too old for it to really matter whether or not he found them again. Even if he did find them, Steve knew that he could never explain why he was still alive or why he hadn't aged in decades. He knew that had the other Avengers but he wouldn't have ever thought to put pictures up of any of them. He wasn't sure if they counted as friends or not actually. Now he had Aly, of course, but they hadn't taken any pictures together yet. Maybe one day he'd have pictures of the two of them in his apartment that people could look at and smile about.

Steve turned on her radio, turning it up a little. He smiled as the music started to play, noticing that the station that she had it set on now was one that played big band music. It was actually the same station that he'd had on at his apartment the night she came over for dinner and he had to admit that he liked that Aly had been listening to the same station since that day. Steve had wandered into the kitchen when he heard the shower get turned off. That still gave him probably 10 minutes while Aly got dried off and dressed, maybe longer. He wasn't sure because this was the first time that he'd ever spent the night with a woman.

He started to go through the cabinets while he had a chance though. He doubted that Aly would let him get away with cooking for them once she was out of the shower but if he got started now, maybe she would let him get away with it. Steve pulled out a frying pan and then grabbed two plates out of another cabinet, remembering where they were. He set the table for the two of them before going into the refrigerator to pull out some eggs. He turned on the burner and started to crack the eggs when he heard the bathroom door open. Steve smiled as he started to scramble up some eggs for them, watching for Aly to come into the kitchen.

She stopped at the radio, smiling as she turned it up a little more before walking into the kitchen. Aly shook her head at him as she walked over and kissed Steve's cheek with a soft laugh. She peeked at the pan and laughed again before heading for the freezer. She pulled out some frozen waffles, putting them into the toaster before she turned her attention to the refrigerator, pulling out some fresh blueberries and a can of whipped cream which she shook up as she walked over toward the stove.

Steve watched rather intently as she shook the can and sprayed some of the whipped cream in her mouth, giggling as she ate it. He swallowed a little hard watching her though, shaking off some mental images as he turned his attention back to the eggs that he was scrambling. Aly grabbed the plates from the table and when the waffles popped up out of the toaster, she put them on the plates before setting the plates next to Steve. She waited as he put the eggs on their plates. She did notice that he put a little more on one plate, which she assumed meant that it was for him. While Aly put the plates back on the table, he cleaned up a little. He didn't want to leave a mess for Aly after all.

Aly covered the waffles in whipped cream and blueberries while Steve put the pan and spatula into the sink. She gave him a wink when he looked at her and sprayed some whipped cream on her finger, holding it out for Steve. He was blushing when he realized what she wanted him to do but he leaned in and sucked the whipped cream off of her finger, making Aly giggle and blush a little bit. She put the whipped cream away and poured them each a glass of milk. She poured herself a mug of coffee as well, adding a lot of sugar and some milk before she sat down at the table.

Steve was laughing, shaking his head as he sat down as well. She was going to take some getting used to but he figured that it would be worth it in the long run. "I was waiting for you to tell me to get out of the kitchen," he said with a smile.

Aly shrugged as she sipped her coffee, not sure how to answer that one. "I liked the idea of you making us breakfast," she said with a soft smile, laughing a little. "I didn't want to interrupt you."

Steve chuckled softly as he started to eat, looking over to see Aly eating as well. She gave him a little smile and stuck her finger into the whipped cream on her waffle and tapped her finger on the tip of his nose with a laugh. Steve looked down at his nose, crossing his eyes in the process and making Aly laugh even harder as she looked over at him. She had to take a drink of her milk to keep from choking on the bite she had taken. He wiped the whipped cream off and licked his finger, shaking his head at her. Steve had to admit that he liked that she had a sense of humor. It reminded him that it was okay to laugh sometimes. She smiled and gave Steve a wink as she went back to eating.

When they were done, they cleaned up together, washing the dishes although they splashed each other quite a bit as they did it. Steve dried this time and Aly washed since he was the one that cooked but that didn't mean that she didn't get splashed too. He managed to splash her with the dish water almost as much as Aly managed to get him. By the time they were done, Aly looked down at her wet shirt and laughed, shaking her head a bit. She looked over at Steve and laughed harder, doubling over. He looked down and saw that he was pretty well soaked. Shaking his head at Aly, he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"You poor thing. You're soaked," Aly said, giving Steve a little pout. She was trying not to laugh but it was really difficult when she looked at him. It wasn't just his shirt that was wet but his pants as well. She flopped down onto the couch next to Steve and finally let herself laugh at the both of them.

"You're pretty wet yourself there, missy," Steve said with a chuckle, tapping the tip of her nose with his finger. He put an arm around her and laughed as she squealed and wiggled away from him. He pouted when she did that, trying to give her his best puppy dog face. "What's the matter? Don't you want to sit with me?"

Aly laughed, shaking her head as she scooted away from him a bit. "You're wet and you're cold. No," she said with a little smile. She turned a little, tucking her leg underneath herself as she sat down. Aly was almost bouncing as she sat there, so full of energy. "What did you want to do today?"

"Can't we stay in all day?" he asked, looking over at her. He had seen her pull off that puppy dog pout so he was trying it on her again. He wondered if it worked on her like her pout worked on him. To be fair, he knew that she had dimples so maybe it was the fact that she worked her dimples that seemed to make Steve so weak. All he knew was that Aly got her way with him quite easily and he wondered if he could get his way with her as well.

Aly sighed and shrugged before shifting again and leaning against him now. She smiled when he put his arm around her again and pulled her close. It was hard to worry about the fact that they were both wet and cold when she was tucked under Steve's arm like this. It felt too perfect after all. "I figured you'd want to go home to change since you wore that all day yesterday and that we could maybe go to the park or something but if you'd rather stay in …" Aly let her statement trail off then and looked up at him with that pout on her face now. She seemed to work her dimples a little more than usually too as she looked up at him.

Steve chuckled and shook his head when he saw that look on her face. It really was easy for her to break him because he knew that he'd do anything that she wanted right now. "That look is entirely unfair and you know it," Steve said with a smile. "How is it that it works when you look at me that way but when I try it on you, nothing happens? Shouldn't it work both ways?"

Aly laughed and shrugged a little before kissing his cheek softly. "I didn't know that it worked on you," she said with a smile. "That's good to know."

Steve groaned, rolling his eyes a little. "I just gave you something to use against me. Didn't I?" he said, trying not to laugh. The last thing that Aly seemed to need was something to use against him after all. Now that she knew the pout worked, Steve was aware that she'd use it against him often.

Aly smiled and nodded. She lightly brushed her fingers against his cheek and turned his head toward her. "I think you did," she softly said. She'd lowered her voice a bit and saw the way that Steve shivered slightly from the tone of her voice. Aly couldn't help but smile at that. Whether he knew it or not, he gave her something else to use against him and she liked knowing that she could use the tone of her voice to get her way with him too. "I think you just did again, soldier."

Steve looked at her curiously, cocking his head to the side a bit. "I did?" he asked, sounding as perplexed as he felt. He couldn't imagine what he'd done that might have tipped her off on something that she could use against him to get her way with him.

Aly giggled and shook her head. She even bit her lip softly as she shook her head, smiling when she saw Steve's eyes flit toward her lips for a second before he was looking in her eyes again. "I'm not telling. So I'm asking again," Aly said, sitting up a little more. She pulled out that softer tone of voice when she asked him again, hoping to get a little rise out of him for her trouble. "What are we going to do today, Captain Rogers?"

Steve smirked, chuckling softly. That tone in her voice actually made him feel a little spun and he had a feeling that Aly knew it too. He mumbled something under his breath about how unfair something was and then started to sit up. "I guess we're going to my apartment so I can grab a shower and change," he said, laughing when Aly popped right up and grabbed her purse and keys before he even got off of the couch. He joined her at the door, lacing his fingers with hers as he took Aly's hand in his own after she locked up behind them.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **We're 12 chapters in and there are 26 reviews, 4609 views, 22 favorites and 32 alerts! Wow. You all are amazing. I adore you all! All my reviewers and all of you who have read the story and put it on alert or have favorited it (or done both) are the reason I'm still writing. That and this story isn't done yet! I still have more story to tell as Steve and Aly learn more about each other and start to really reveal things! Enjoy this update and hopefully I'll have another chapter up soon!

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Steve walked around Central Park with Aly, his arm around her shoulders. They were pretty tangled together as they walked and if it wasn't for Steve, they probably would've stumbled over each other's feet more than a few times. She wasn't as coordinated as he was so Steve was doing his best to keep them both on their feet. As it was, Aly stumbled a few times, laughing at herself whenever Steve caught her. They'd been wandering for awhile now, looking around and talking. Aly noticed that a few times Steve would start to say something and then stop himself before he could finish the thoughts. She wondered what it was that he was going to say but she didn't ask him. She had made it very clear that she wouldn't pry.

"So how do you like Central Park, Steve?" Aly asked as they stopped to sit on a bench near a playground. It was quiet there but it was still early. There were a few children playing and the women sitting nearby to watch them were clearly nannies, not the mothers. She didn't understand how women could do that. When she had children of her own, she already swore to herself that she'd never hire a nanny to take care of the children. That wasn't what a real mother did. Even with the fact that her parents worked extra hard to make sure that she was able to have a better life than they did, she knew that her mother and father both did everything that they could to take care of her. If it wasn't for the two of them, she had no idea where she'd be today. Aly quickly looked away from the scene to look at Steve.

He played a little with her fingers, holding her hand as they sat on the bench together. "I think that I'm happy to be anywhere as long as you're with me," he said with a smile. It was a corny line to be sure but Steve meant it and he knew that she'd know that.

Aly blushed softly and looked at the playground again. She let out a soft sigh as she watched the children play. "You know, my mother would bring me here sometimes. Not to this particular part of the park but to Central Park. When she had the time, I mean," she softly said, her eyes still fixed on the playing children as she spoke. "One day I want to be able to bring my own children here to play too. One day."

Steve cupped Aly's chin and turned her head toward him to get her to look at him now. It was sweet when she got a little shy while talking with him but he wanted Aly to look him in the eyes when he said this to her. "And you will. One day, you will get to bring your children here to play," he said, nodding. His tone was serious and sincere. "It _will_ happen for you." As he said it, he looked her right in the eyes and for a moment, Steve could see it. He could see Aly bringing a couple of small, blond-haired and blue-eyed children to the park to play and Steve wanted nothing more than to be a part of that picture. The realization hit him suddenly and he let go of her chin slowly when it did hit him.

Aly laced their fingers together and leaned her head on Steve's shoulder. She didn't know what to say to that although she wondered what he was thinking right now. She just didn't know how to ask because she hated the idea of pushing him to tell her more than he was ready to talk about. Aly took a breath and then looked up at Steve. "What's going on in that head of yours, Steven Rogers?" she softly said. "I feel like you can tell everything by looking at me but I have no idea what's going on in your head."

Steve smiled softly and shook his head, embarrassed right now. "It's nothing. It's silly really," he said, trying to shrug it off before Aly could ask him again. He nervously chuckled at himself for the thought even crossing his mind in the first place.

She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up at him. This was one time when she felt like she wanted to pry a little. She wanted to know what he was thinking for a change. "Tell me. Please, Steve?" Aly said with a little pout. Actually now that she knew her pout worked on him, she found herself using it more often. "I want to know."

Steve sighed and let go of her hand, raking his fingers through his hair. There was no way he could tell her no when she looked at him like that but he was embarrassed to admit what he was thinking in the first place. These weren't things that he'd ever thought about before but Steve had to admit that he liked the thought of being with Aly, of having a family with her. He was afraid that Aly might be upset if he said the words out loud though. As he spoke, Steve looked at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "When you were talking about having kids and bringing them to the park, it made me think of something. That's all," he said with a little shrug. He almost mumbled the words.

Aly reached for Steve's hand, lacing their fingers together again. Then she brushed her fingers against his cheek and along his jaw, watching as he slowly turned his head toward her. "And what did it make you think of, Steve?" she softly said.

Steve took a deep breath, suddenly realizing that he'd forgotten for a moment to breathe as he looked at her. There was something about the look in her eyes right now that had him caught and he knew in that moment that he had fallen for Aly. While before this he'd known that he had feelings for her, Steve now knew, with complete certainty, that he was in love with her. He hoped that the feeling was mutual though. "I think that I want to be a part of that," he said with a little nod. "I think I might like the idea of being a part of your life like that."

Aly blushed softly but she leaned in and softly kissed the corner of his mouth. She brushed her fingers against his cheek again with a soft smile. "You think so?" she asked, sounding a bit surprised but very happy. "To tell you the truth, I think I might like that myself."

Steve knew that he was blushing, something that continued to happen often with Aly. In fact, he was starting to get used to it now. Hearing her say that she liked the idea of him being a big part of her life did make his heart race a little. It also made him feel a bit guilty although he knew that he shouldn't. He smiled though and lightly cupped her cheek in his hand. His thumb absently brushed her cheek and when Aly took a deep breath and closed her eyes slowly, Steve smiled a little more.

"I had started to believe I was never going to find the … the right girl," he said with a little shake of his head. "Then I meet you and you turn my whole world upside down. You're good at that, shaking things up for me." Steve chuckled but it was true. Since he met Aly, things hadn't been the same for him. He saw in her some kind of hope that things weren't as bleak as he thought they could be.

"And have you? Found the right girl?" Aly asked, her voice almost a whisper. She looked nervous as she watched Steve, softly biting her bottom lip as she looked at him now.

Steve smiled, nodding a bit. He leaned his forehead against hers and smiled a little more. "I think I have," he softly said. "Question is … do you want to … be my … my girl?"

Aly giggled at the way that Steve asked her to be his girlfriend. It was a little awkward and old-fashioned but those were things that he seemed to pull off. He could be awkward around her but she found it sweet and his old-fashioned notions were actually refreshing to her. At this point, she would have expected him to have tried to get her into bed but the closest they'd come to that was last night when he'd slept in her bed with her. They kissed but it was always just this side of innocent. Aly sometimes wondered why that was. She wondered a bit why he didn't seem to make a move on her like other guys had but she liked that he didn't want to rush her by any means. She didn't want to rush him either but knowing that he wanted to be with her made her heart race and her breath catch in her throat.

She swallowed hard as she looked at Steve now, nodding her head softly. "I would," Aly said, her tone breathless. "I certainly would."


	13. Chapter 13

The next week seemed to pass in a blur for the most part as she and Steve each went through the motions during the day. Aly worked twice early in the week at the coffee shop after school but mostly she was student teaching which meant making lesson plans and grading homework and quizzes almost every night. To be honest, she didn't have time for much else although Aly knew that once she could find a rhythm, she'd be able to make time for anything. She popped into the gym once during the week to spar with Nate but wound up hitting the heavy bag for awhile instead before going home.

The thing was that Steve was at her apartment every day during all of this. He would pop in just before she had to leave for the day and he'd stay until she said that she was tired and wanted to go to bed. Steve only stayed the night one time with her and that was because Aly had fallen asleep on the couch curled up next to him on Tuesday night while they had watched a movie. Still while she was working, he ran to the grocery store for her and he made dinner every night. If she tried to help with dishes, Steve would immediately sit her down in the living room and take care of it himself.

It was Thursday night and Aly had finished all of her lessons plans for the next week. That actually took a lot of pressure off of her for next week and she figured she could get another week's worth of lesson plans done tomorrow. She'd finished grading all of the quizzes she'd given that day as well as all of the homework from the previous night. Sometimes Aly felt like she had more homework than the kids in her class did because of this. It was certainly worth it though. She really felt like she was doing some good in the classroom and the kids seemed to respond to her.

She patted the spot on the couch next to her when she saw Steve standing in the doorway of the kitchen, drying his hands on a towel after finishing the dishes. Steve laughed, nodding when he saw that she wanted him to join her. He ducked back into the kitchen and hung up the towel before walking into the living room and pulling her close once he sat down.

"You work too hard," he said with a little smile. Not that Steve minded because he was honestly impressed with her work ethic. There were just moments when he wished that she had a little more time for him.

"And what do you suggest I do about that?" Aly asked as she snuggled in next to him. She took a deep breath and sighed, closing her eyes. There was something about the way that he smelled that was both comforting and exciting. It was a familiar scent at this point but whenever she had to a chance to breathe him in, Aly snuggled in close and would take a deep breath. "I can't exactly slack off if I plan on teaching these kids anything."

"How about less quizzes? That would be a good start and I'm betting the kids would appreciate it," Steve said with a chuckle and a shrug. The last thing he wanted was for Aly to stress herself out but he knew how important her work seemed to be to her, especially since she was so close to finishing her degree. Steve wanted her to get the most out of her student teaching but at the same time, he hated seeing her so worn out when it was only Thursday night. He kissed the top of her head and nodded toward the TV. "Did you want to watch a movie?"

Aly nodded and quickly reached for the remote. She started to flip through the channels before Steve got a chance. It wasn't that she didn't like the movies that he picked. It was more that Aly wanted to find something that she could just sit back and enjoy without a lot of thinking on her part. She found the original _Wizard of Oz_ on one of the movie channels and left it on before resting her head on Steve's chest. He chuckled when he saw her choice and pulled her closer to him, kissing the top of her head. She looked up at him with a little pout, looking a bit confused.

"What?" Steve said, trying not to laugh at the confused look on Aly's face.

Aly sat up a little and softly poked his side. She gave him a little frown because she could see he was amused right now for some reason and she didn't know why. "Why are you laughing?" she asked with a soft sigh.

He nodded toward the TV with a little smile. "You always pick movies like this. _Casablanca_, _Gone With the Wind_, _Citizen Kane_. Why is that?" he asked. Steve was actually curious about her movie choices because other than some movie that he couldn't recall the name of anymore, they seemed to watch a lot of older movies together. Most were movies that he'd actually seen before which was nice but Steve knew that he wouldn't mind watching other movies as well.

Aly shrugged. "It might sound stupid and there are movies that are probably more modern that I do like but I grew up with some of these movies," she said with a little smile. "When I would stay at my grandparents house now and then, those were the movies that they would be watching. I took a class in high school too, a film class. We watched a lot of movies that people consider to be classics. I'll show you the list some time and maybe we can pick some out and watch them or see if we can catch them on TV some time. I like movies that actually have substance to them. _Twilight_ is fun but I'd rather watch almost anything else. Like _Titanic_. Have you seen it?"

Steve chuckled a little and shook his head. "No, ma'am. I can't say that I have. Is it any good?" he asked, curious about what some of her favorite movies were. He just liked hearing her talk and learning more about her because of it.

Aly smiled and shrugged a little. "It's a little historical but very romantic. I like it," she said with a laugh. She wasn't sure Steve would want to sit through the entire movie with her but she was curious to show it to him now. "If you want, we can watch it some time. I actually own that one. I'm serious about finding that list of movies. Or we can search online for a list of great movies and start going through it to pick out ones that we want to watch together if you'd like. I think it would be fun although it'll probably take some time to get through 100 movies or more."

Steve chuckled and pulled Aly close again, smiling as she snuggled up to him without another thought. It seemed to be her immediate response when he held her close like this. He liked that because the feeling of her close meant that he could keep her safe this way. When her arms wrapped around him, he sighed softly, happily. "Well I'm not going anywhere," Steve said with a shrug. "We'll come up with a list tomorrow and then see about watching all of the movies on it. How does that sound?"

"It sounds pretty amazing but you know what sounds better right now?" Aly asked, looking up at Steve with a slightly mischievous grin on her face. She laughed at the way he cocked his head at the look on her face. Leaning up, she softly kissed him on the lips and got up off of the couch. "Do you really want to know what sounds better right now or are we still being shy?"

Steve sat forward on the couch, watching as she walked toward the bathroom. He wasn't sure what she was asking when she said that because he couldn't think of a single moment where he was being shy. Awkward, yes. He was very good at being awkward around Aly although that didn't seem to bother her much. Not shy though. Steve's eyes widened as she pulled off her shirt as she walked away. "I … What … uh …"

Aly looked over her shoulder at him, giggling. She crooked her finger at Steve and gave him a little smirk. "Stop being so damn shy, Steven Rogers, and come here," she said with a laugh. When Steve actually got up, Aly couldn't help the surprised look on her face. She had expected him to avert his gaze and tell her that he'd wait for her while she did whatever she was planning so this was a nice surprise. She took hold of his hand, lacing their fingers together and led him into the bathroom.

Steve couldn't believe that he was taking the chance and following Aly right now. He didn't know what possessed him to get up off of the couch but he was curious to see where this might lead. Once they were in the bathroom, he stood there, watching Aly as she started to run the water. He saw her put in a plug and then watched as she pulled out bubbles to add to the water. He thought he knew where this was going but still Steve had to ask. "And just what was the reason that you wanted me to join you?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at Aly.

She laughed and started to tug on his t-shirt, pulling it up slowly. She would stop if he asked her to but until then she was going to take off his shirt. Aly was actually curious to see how far Steve would go before he'd ask her to stop or before his old-fashioned values would kick in. She was hoping that it wouldn't happen though and that for once, he'd just let things happen between them. "You just answered your own question, Captain Rogers. Because I want you to join me," she said with a bit of a smirk. "Unless, of course, you don't think you can handle that."

"I, uh, well …" Steve scratched the back of his neck as he looked down at Aly. This was something that he had thought about before. He could admit that much to himself, even if he'd never acted on those feelings before when he was with Aly. He just hadn't expected it to happen now. In fact, Steve hadn't been sure when to expect something like this to happen. He put his arms up a little and let Aly pull his shirt off of him without a word.

Aly giggled softly and slowly looked Steve over once she took his shirt off. She saw him blush when she did it and she reached up and lightly brushed her fingers against his cheek. It surprised her when Steve's hands went to her hips and he pulled her closer to him. It wasn't like him to make a move like this but she wasn't going to argue about that right now. It was her turn, it seemed, to go with the flow and let things happen.

As he pressed his lips to hers, Aly's hands slid down his chest until they reached the waist of his pants. She started to unbuckle his belt, pulling that off next without much difficulty. Neither of them broke the kiss though, even as Steve seemed to fumble a bit to unbutton and unzip Aly's jeans. He slowly slid them off of her as she giggled against his lips. She didn't seem to have the same trouble with taking off his khaki pants though. As his pants hit the floor, Aly pulled back from the kiss.

She looked over her shoulder at the tub and gasped, laughing as she darted over to turn off the water since the tub was full already. She managed to slip and fall into the tub while still in her underwear however. After making sure that she was okay, Steve started to laugh, shaking his head at her. Aly rolled her eyes a little, sitting down in the tub and pulling off her panties.

She tossed the wet underwear on the floor and then took off her bra, letting it join her panties on the bathroom floor. Steve's eyes widened and Aly playfully covered her eyes although she was peeking between her fingers at him. Blushing bright red, Steve pulled off his boxers and climbed into the tub with her. There was hardly enough room for the two of them but Aly moved as soon as Steve had gotten comfortable. She sat with her back pressed against his chest and let her head rest on his shoulder.

Steve would've been lying if he said that he wasn't nervous right now. In fact, he wasn't sure where to put his hands. Aly took his hands in hers though, lacing her fingers with his and she let them rest on her stomach. He smiled a little as he felt her relax a bit more against him. He pushed away his own jitters and felt himself relax as well. He kissed the top of her head and chuckled when he saw Aly's eyes closed as she lay against him.

"I don't think I've taken a bath since I was a little guy," Steve said with a chuckle, shaking his head a bit. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd taken an actual bath. He'd probably been a kid at the time, maybe 6-years-old or so. "See what I mean about you shaking things up in my life?"

"Shhh …" Aly shook her head a little although there was a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She opened her eyes and looked up at Steve. "Just relax and enjoy the moment. That's the point of this after all."

"What? No soft music and candlelight?"

Aly sat up and splashed Steve a little, laughing. "No mocking me, Captain Rogers," she said with a pout. She laughed when he put his hands up in surrender with a smile on his face. She leaned back against him again and happily sighed. The warm water and feeling herself pressed against Steve like this was amazing. Aly really hadn't expected this mostly because she thought that he would say no if she asked him out right. "After a long day, a bath can be very nice."

Steve closed his eyes for a moment and smiled, nodding. "I can see the appeal," he said with a soft laugh. It was nice, the feeling of the warm water soaking right through him. Of course it did help that he had Aly pressed against him right now as well. That made this bath exciting as well as relaxing actually.

Aly sighed softly, a faint smile turning up the corners of her mouth. For a long moment, they stayed just like that. There were no words shared. They quietly relaxed in the tub together. Occasionally Steve would kiss the top of Aly's head or he'd kiss her temple. Mostly they just relaxed until the bubbles seemed to slowly disappear. The water had even gotten cooler although Steve noticed it more when Aly shifted to stand up. She stepped out of the tub and he watched as she reached for a towel to wrap herself in. She looked over at him, biting her bottom lip when she saw him watching her. The blush on her cheeks made Steve smile a little, even though he knew he was blushing as he got out of the tub as well.

Aly handed him a towel but he saw her eyes slowly move over his body. It made him nervous but it was exciting as well. He liked that she wanted to look, that she seemed to like seeing him naked. He had to admit that he liked seeing her without any clothes on as well. She was more beautiful than he'd imagined and Steve had certainly imagined a moment like this with her. When he dreamed about it, he was bolder than he knew he would be now that it was really happening. In his dreams, he would pull her close and kiss her senseless, until her knees went weak. He would carry her to her bed or his, that part never mattered. Once they were in bed together, they would make love until they were too tired to do anything else. Steve didn't think that he could do anything like that right now.

Aly didn't say a word, just crooked her finger at him as she started to walk out of the bathroom. In a daze, Steve wrapped the towel around his waist and followed after her. His eyebrows raised as he saw her walk into her bedroom but he followed her, closing the door behind himself. When she dropped the towel with her back to him, Steve thought his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. His breath caught for a moment and he had to remind himself to breathe. He could see, as he watched her, that she was nervous as she slowly turned around. She walked toward him and gave a tug to the towel around his waist, causing it to fall to the floor.

Steve swallowed hard as he looked down at her. She pouted her lips a little. Just enough to tease him it seemed and he found himself feeling rather brave while in her presence for a change. He was nervous to be sure but Steve felt bold right now. He tangled his fingers in her hair and pressed his lips hard against hers. He felt her press her body tighter to his, felt her body almost mold to his. It was exciting and sent an electric thrill through his body. He really did kiss her until Aly's knees went weak and she moaned against his lips.

Steve pulled back then, scooping her up in his arms. When Aly giggled, he smiled at her and carried her to the bed, gently laying her down before he climbed onto the bed as well. She must have been able to tell that he was nervous because Aly gave him a nudge and Steve obediently rolled onto his back. She climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. With a soft smile, she leaned in and kissed him softly. His hands moved to her hips, pulling her tighter against him. It seemed it was Aly's turn to kiss him senseless because soon Steve was so lost in her that he wasn't thinking about anything else but this very moment.

Slowly he pulled back from the kiss, breathless but wanting to say something. He brushed his fingers through her hair a little, tucking some of the slightly damp strands behind her ear. "I … I've never done something like this before," he softly said. He could feel the heat in his face, knew he was blushing a bit although the blood had been rushing to another part of his anatomy up until that point.

Aly looked surprised at Steve's admission. She sat up just a little, her eyebrows raised. "You've never done this before? Never had sex?" she asked, sounding as surprised as she looked. She brushed her fingers through Steve's hair a little and smiled softly. She had been aware that she made Steve nervous but Aly never would've guessed that Steve was a virgin. That didn't make sense to her. "I find that hard to believe, soldier."

He shrugged, embarrassed that he'd even brought it up. As much as he'd wanted her to know the truth, Steve was a little sorry that he'd told her in the first place. "Well it's true," he mumbled. Steve was waiting for Aly to start laughing at him or something. Clearly that wasn't what she had been expecting to hear.

When Aly saw how embarrassed Steve was, she kissed him softly. Then she slowly let her lips move along his jaw before she softly nibbled on his earlobe. "Don't worry, Steve. This will be fun," she whispered in his ear. "I promise."

He closed his eyes, groaning softly. His hands lightly brushed along her back, his fingers following her spine. He was nervous but slowly he let his hand move a bit lower. Steve slowly rolled them over so he was on top again. He growled, the sound deep and rough, as he felt Aly's legs wrapping around his waist. While he was letting her take the lead, Steve knew enough about the mechanics of sex to know what was about to happen next. He felt dizzy just thinking about it and clearly Aly felt dizzy as well. She looked up at him as she lightly bit her lower lip. She just gave Steve a little nod as she reached up and lightly brushed her fingertips against his cheek. He took a deep breath as he felt her legs get tangled with his.

Aly tangled her fingers in Steve's hair and pulled him down for a kiss. With their lips locked, he rocked his hips for the first time, growling against her lips at the sensation he felt. This, Steve already knew, was going to be one hell of a night.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Two new reviewers? Wow. Thank you! 6369 views, 34 reviews, 48 followers and 30 favorites later and I'm still writing! I know the last chapter may have taken some of you by surprise but when you let your characters rule, sometimes they do amazing things and Steve and Aly had their own ideas on what was supposed to come next and Aly is supposed to be around to broaden Steve's horizons. Haha! I'm glad you all have been enjoying the story and as it continues, I hope that you guys will continue to enjoy and favorite and review the story. The reviews keep me going. I love the repeat reviewers because it shows that you guys have really been enjoying the story enough to say something time and time again. I love all of you! Thank you!

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Aly stretched and grumbled under her breath when her alarm went off on Friday morning. The last thing that she wanted to do today was get out of this bed, especially at this hour. While normally, she had no trouble getting up in the morning, today it just felt too early to Aly. She snuggled closer to Steve, trying to bury her face in his bare chest. Steve chuckled and brushed some of her long, blond hair back from her face. Even he had to admit that he didn't want to get out of bed right now. He kissed her forehead and started to shift a little because he knew if he didn't get up, she wouldn't get up and she definitely had to get up this morning. Aly grumbled under her breath and sat up, knowing she didn't have any choice. She had to get out of bed this morning as much as she loathed the idea.

She giggled when she saw Steve look her over, forgetting for a moment that she didn't have anything on. Slowly Aly climbed out of bed and grabbed her short red silk robe, wrapping it around herself and tying the belt. Steve sat up a bit as he watched her go through the closet to pull out her clothes. He smiled at the careful way Aly laid them at the foot of the bed. He climbed out of bed then, heading for the bathroom first. He pulled on his underwear and wandered into the kitchen.

Thinking about last night's activities made him blush but it did cross his mind. It had been better than anything that he'd experienced before. In fact, it was better than anything he had imagined and Steve had to admit that it was something that he wanted to do again. Well they'd had sex twice last night before falling asleep but that didn't mean that Steve didn't want to repeat those activities again tonight. And the next night. And the night after that. He chuckled at himself as he started a pot of coffee.

Since Steve knew Aly's kitchen better than he knew his own at this point, it wasn't hard for him to find a frying pan. Then he went to work, making himself and Aly each an omelet. He heard her shuffle off into the bathroom. He just kept working on making their breakfast, whistling a tune as he turned the omelet over. He looked over with a grin on his face when Aly walked into the kitchen just as he finished one of the omelets. She had grabbed a quick shower and had put on a sleeveless dark gray dress that reached her knees with a thin bright red belt wrapped around her waist and bright red flats. She'd done her best to wrap most of her hair into a bun but a few stray strands hung loose, framing her face.

She giggled at him and walked over, wrapping her arms around his waist. She saw the way that he had checked her out and she did the same, letting her eyes slowly drag along his body and licking her lips softly as she looked at him. He was still in his boxers and Aly certainly found it very tempting, seeing him like this in her kitchen right now. Steve turned a little and leaned in to kiss her softly although she made sure her lips lingered on his for a moment longer than necessary.

Aly pulled out two plates and two mugs, setting them onto the counter next to Steve with a smile. She poured herself a cup of coffee, adding some flavored creamer to her mug this time. The only time that she used sugar and milk was when Aly didn't have French vanilla flavored creamer. She was watching Steve, stirring her coffee as he slid the omelet onto her plate and handed it to her. She grabbed his wrist after he set the plate down and gave a little tug before Steve could start work on his own breakfast.

"You know I love you. Don't you, Steve?" Aly asked, looking up at him with her head cocked to the side. She felt a little embarrassed to say it like this but Aly just felt like she had to let him know. Maybe it was because they'd slept together last night. Maybe it was because of everything that had happened between them. The reason didn't really matter. Aly needed Steve to know that she was in love with him and she wanted to hear, in no uncertain terms, that he was in love with her too.

Steve pulled out the chair and sat down for a moment. He took her hand in his and laced their fingers together with a soft smile on his face. "I love you too, Alyssa," he said with a little nod. "I didn't think that we would've done what we did last night …"

"We had sex, Steve. You can say it," Aly said with a soft smile. It was endearing, the way that he couldn't seem to quite say the words out loud although Steve had had no trouble at all with the actual act last night. Hearing him say that he loved her made her heart flutter a little though. She played with his fingers a bit as she held his hand. "You're right though. We wouldn't have had sex if we didn't love each other. I just wanted you to know it. I wanted to actually say the words."

He got up for a moment, getting his omelet on his plate and pouring himself a cup of coffee as well. He set the plate and mug down, making sure they both had forks. Before sitting down again, Steve leaned in and softly kissed Aly's lips. He moved his chair closer to hers and sat down, watching as she tucked some of those loose strands of hair behind her ear as she looked at her plate. He watched her eat slowly and smiled when she looked over at him with an eyebrow raised. She turned toward him a little more, setting down her fork and folding her arm across her chest as she looked at him. When she sighed, Steve chuckled and shook his head.

"Why do you keep staring at me?"

Steve couldn't help the little smile on his face when she asked him that so suddenly. She sounded a little exasperated but it was still sweet, that look on her face and the way that she asked him why he was staring. Steve shrugged and reached for Aly's hand. "I can't help it. I look at you and think about last night and …" He blushed softly, chuckling at himself as he held her hand. He knew that he could say the words to Aly and she wouldn't be embarrassed but it wasn't easy to actually say the words.

Aly rolled her eyes a little, softly laughing. It was adorable how shy he could get after all. "You're still terribly shy, Steve. We're going to have to work on that," she said before kissing his cheek as she got up from the table. "It's amazing how you're so very good at the actual act but you can't actually say it when we talk about it."

Steve blushed at what she said before he looked at her plate and frowned. He didn't like that she'd hardly eaten anything. He worried about her and Steve wanted to make sure that Aly got enough to eat after all. "You didn't even finish eating," he said, nodding to the plate with his head even as she got up.

Aly looked at it and picked up her fork, taking a big bite of her omelet so he wouldn't be able to complain about her eating habits. Then she grabbed her mug and washed the bite down with the rest of her coffee, licking her lips as she finished it off. "I have to go, Steve," she said with a shrug. "Maybe if you wouldn't have worn me out last night, I wouldn't have felt the need to sleep in this morning and I could've eaten that whole thing. Somehow I don't think it'll go to waste." She gave Steve a wink and laughed, knowing that Steve would probably finish it off for her once she was gone anyway. After grabbing a travel mug and filling it with coffee, adding the French vanilla creamer and quickly stirring it, Aly gave Steve a little kiss at the corner of his mouth and she headed for the front door.

"When we get home, will we make that movie list?" Steve called out, leaning back in his chair as he watched Aly walk away.

She looked over her shoulder at him and blushed at the way that Steve's eyes seemed to slowly move over her body again. How he could make her nervous even now was amazing to her. Then again when he looked at her like that she got butterflies in her stomach and she wondered if Steve felt the same way. Aly smoothed her hands down her skirt and hiked up the strap of the messenger bag that had all of her lesson plans, graded homework and graded quizzes in it. "We can do that. There are a lot of great movies out there that I think we should check out together," she said with a little nod. "I'll see you soon."

"Hey, Aly," Steve called out, chuckling when she put her hands on her hips and sighed. The look that she was giving him made him smile. She was clearly trying so hard to be 'tough' right now but on her it just looked cute. "I love you."

Aly looked down a little, blushing. She blew Steve a kiss with a soft laugh. "I love you too," she said before grabbing her keys and heading out the front door.

Steve leaned back in the chair again, sighing softly. It was going to be a long day but he knew he could go to the gym for a bit and he still had to clean up from making breakfast. Even with those tasks ahead of him, he still knew it was going to feel like the longest day of his life as he waited for Aly to get home. At least he'd have the whole weekend with her, something that he was already looking forward to for so many reasons.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Thank you all so much! I really can't believe how popular this story has been. I did get a comment about not continuing a couple of chapters back what Aly and Steve were doing in the bedroom. Mostly I didn't do that because the website has a new rule against MA stories around here. I apologize but I'm sure you can all use your imagination on what they did. ;) I can't believe that this story has 39 reviews, 53 followers, 35 favorites and 7553 views. Again, I say, thank you! I appreciate you all. Enjoy the update. :)

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Aly clicked on a link after searching for '100 greatest movies' using Google. She nodded toward the laptop screen as she looked over at Steve. "So this website lists AMC's list of …"

Steve shook his head as he looked over Aly's shoulder at the screen, feeling a little turned around at the moment. She had her laptop open on her lap and had brought up a website for them to look at to see if any of the movies sounded interesting to the both of them. He really didn't understand what she was saying right now though. "AMC?" he asked with an eyebrow cocked.

Aly laughed softly, shaking her head a little before tucking some hair behind her ear. "It's supposed to stand for American Movie Classics. It's one of the channels we wind up watching the most," she said with a shrug. Usually when they watched a movie together, they wound up watching AMC because they played most of her favorite movies. "So anyway, this list on their website is voted for by regular people so it's probably one of the better ones out there. I think I've seen every movie on the list so if there's one that you want to see, let me know and we'll write it down." She patted the notebook that was sitting next to her.

When Aly first got home from her student teaching job, she quickly slipped by Steve to change out of the dress she'd worn and then she and Steve started poking around online to try to make a list of movies that they were going to watch together. She planned on going to the video store with him to hopefully grab copies of most of the movies, unless she already owned the movie on DVD. She didn't have anything to grade tonight and she knew that she could work on lesson plans on Sunday night although she was all ready for next week. So far Steve hadn't picked a single movie though. He just looked at the laptop with this glazed over look in his eyes. Aly was beginning to wonder if this was too much for him to process at once.

"I'll watch any of these movies if you think that they'd be good," Steve said with a little shrug. He had to admit that he was more than a little overwhelmed by this. He had no idea what half of these movies were in the first place after all. In fact he would've preferred it if Aly had picked all the movies for them instead. Besides he wasn't sure they'd make it through a single movie.

"Well the whole original _Star Wars_ trilogy is really good," Aly said with a little nod. She looked at the list again, slowly scrolling through it. "_The Godfather_ is amazing. So is _Schindler's List_ and _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_ would be good too. If you're really not sure what you want to watch, I think that we should do those movies and then _Jaws_, _Annie Hall_ and maybe _West Side Story_. It's a musical but I think you'll like it. Is there anything else?"

Steve eyed the list and shook his head. He honestly didn't know where to start. There were familiar titles on the list, of course, but he figured that he should try to watch a few movies that he hadn't seen before instead of the ones that he'd seen back in his day. "And you said something about _Titanic_, right? What about _Patton_?"

Aly sighed and rolled her eyes a little. "War movies are usually my least favorite but sure," she said with a nod. She wanted Steve to pick movies he wanted to see after all so she'd suck it up and watch _Patton_ with him if that was what he wanted. She grabbed the notebook and wrote down those titles and then added _It's A Wonderful Life_, _Dances With Wolves_ and _Forrest Gump_ to the list too. "This isn't 100 movies, Steve." She held up the notebook for him to look at, laughing as he took the notebook and pen from her, setting them aside.

He moved her laptop next, setting it on the coffee table before pulling Aly closer to him. Steve had a smile on his lips as he leaned in and softly planted kisses along her collarbone. When she sighed and he saw her eyes flutter closed, he knew he was doing something right. He'd learned very quickly what kind of cues she gave him to let him know what she liked what he was doing. Her moans, the way she would breathe and the way her body would move were usually very big clues but Steve noticed subtle things as well. Aly had this soft, happy sounding sigh and a soft whimper that would sometimes slip out as she bit her bottom lip. He noticed that she would even curl her toes a little and her body would tremble very softly sometimes. Steve was watching for all those cues right now and he knew he was on the right track to distracting her from this movie thing. As much as he liked the idea of curling up and watching movies with her, it wasn't his current preferred activity.

"Steven, what do you think you're doing?" Aly asked, her voice coming out more breathless than she had expected. She was trying for a commanding tone but it really wasn't working out for her, not with the way that Steve was all over her right now anyway. "I thought you wanted to make this movie list."

Steve chuckled a little although the tone of her voice right now was another clue that let him know that she didn't want to think about movies at the moment. When she got home, she had changed into a t-shirt and a pair of baggy sweatpants and somehow she made that look sexy. He couldn't explain it but he thought she looked amazing right now, at least in his opinion. Steve started to play with the bottom hem of her t-shirt, slowly pulling it up and sliding his fingers under it to brush his fingers up her sides and against her stomach. When she gasped softly and her back arched, Steve could feel that stirring in his groin and he let out a growl. He saw her breath a little harder as she moved to straddle his lap before pressing her lips against his.

His hands moved around to her back and slowly started to pull up on her t-shirt as they kissed. He had her shirt half way up before Aly pulled back from the kiss. She rested her forehead to his and took a few deep breaths with her eyes still closed. Steve had a smile stuck on his face as he watched her slowly open her eyes now. He tucked a few of the loose tendrils of her long, blond hair behind Aly's ear and chuckled as she sighed as his fingertips lightly brushed along her jaw.

"Are we still worried about that movie list?" Steve asked with a little smirk on his lips. His voice sounded a little rougher and his fingers were playing with her t-shirt a bit as he spoke. He watched Aly blink her eyes a couple of times as if she were a little dazed and he chuckled again. Steve liked the effect he could have on her if only because he felt like he had never had that effect on a woman in his life.

Aly shook her head a little and bit her lip softly, chewing on it as she seemed to turn the idea over in her head. "I …" She laughed, shaking her head at herself again. She couldn't even think straight right now and he had to go and ask her something like that. If he knew what he was doing to her, then she thought Steve had learned very quickly how to drive her crazy and to be honest, she was excited to see what that might mean. "God, the things you can do to me, Steve. So what did you have in mind?"

Steve's grin seemed to grow when she asked that and he chuckled softly. He pulled her shirt up, chuckling again as Aly lifted her arms a bit to help him pull it off of her. She was drawing in shaky breaths as she felt his fingertips brushing down the front of her body. Steve leaned in and softly kissed and nibbled on the side of her neck. When she arched her neck and seemed to press her body closer to his, he knew that she was gone. She was going to do whatever he wanted to do and right now Steve actually had a few things in mind.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** So yet again I've done a cliffhanger ending to my chapters that someone would like me to stop doing. Well that trend will continue at least one chapter more and then I promise to give you a little more of what goes on when Steve and Aly lock themselves away. Haha! I'd like to thank all of you again for your reviews and encouragement. It's been keeping me writing and that's always so much fun. So thank you for the 42 reviews, the 57 followers, the 40 favorites and the 8747 views! You guys are amazing. Keep reading because things are, hopefully, about to get a little more interesting!

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Steve watched as Aly, wearing his white t-shirt and his pair of gray plaid boxers, came walking back into her apartment waving a silver colored envelope with golden writing on it. The script on the envelope looked rather fancy from what Steve could see of it from the couch. She had a little smile on her face as she left the rest of the mail on the little table next to the door. He cocked an eyebrow at her, not sure what that smile was for but finding it very sexy. Although Steve had to admit that it was probably seeing her in his clothes that he found so sexy. The smile was the icing on the cake.

Steve sat up a little straighter on the couch as Aly walked toward him, watching every swing of her hips as he licked his lips softly. He was pretty eager to have Aly back in his lap again after all. It was taking all of his will power not to hold out his arms and wiggle his fingers at her in that 'gimme' kind of way that little kids seemed to do when they wanted something badly enough. "What's that?" Steve asked, curiosity getting the better of him at the moment.

Aly giggled and shrugged as she walked over to Steve. She saw the way that he was watching her so she intentionally put a little more swing in her hips and walked a little slower, her smile growing. "Beats the hell out of me but looks like someone, somehow knows that you've been here an awful lot lately, soldier," she said as she sat down on his lap, smiling softly. She held out the fancy looking envelope for Steve. "It's for you."

Steve's eyes widened as he took the envelope from him. He had no idea who in the hell could've known that he was staying all weekend with Aly. Sure enough, when he looked at the envelope, he saw it actually was addressed to him. He sighed with a roll of his blue eyes when he saw who it was from, tossing it onto the coffee table as well. Steve didn't want to open that envelope, especially not now. "I should've known," he muttered, shaking his head. If anyone would be able to find him, he should've known it would've been _him_. Steve wrapped his arms around Aly and nuzzled his nose in her neck, wanting nothing more than to forget that envelope right now. "Let's forget all about that. Alright?"

That seemed to pique her interest though. For as distracting as Steve could be, she wanted to know about this envelope now. She stretched to reach for it, giggling as Steve kept pulling her back instead. Eventually she had the envelope in her hand again and she looked at it a little more carefully. Her own blue eyes widened when she saw who it was from. "It's from Tony Stark. Do you know him or something?" Aly asked, sounding quite surprised. She rolled her eyes a little as Steve sighed but didn't say anything. Those kinds of responses were something she was getting used to. "Well you might not want to open it but I do."

Steve watched as she opened the envelope, half expecting some kind of crazy thing to happen when she did. Like confetti blowing out of it or something. She pulled out a card that was the same silver color as the envelope with the same gold writing on it. When he heard Aly let out a gasp, Steve actually read what it said. Tony was holding a charity ball in two weeks and Steve "and a guest" were invited. They only had until the end of the day to R.S.V.P. When he felt Aly getting up, he gave her a confused look and pulled her back down onto his lap.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, holding her tighter now. If she was about to do what he thought she was going to do, Steve wanted to stop it at all costs. The last thing he wanted was for Aly to get mixed up in his life and Steve knew that Tony would happily stir the pot once he met Aly.

Aly sighed, rolling her eyes at how Steve was acting right now. "We have to R.S.V.P. by tonight, Steve. I figured I'd call and do it now," she said with a shrug. She gave him a little pout, which slowly turned into a smile when she saw Steve reluctantly nod his head and agree to go. Aly had to admit that she liked that with just a pout she could change Steve's mind. "Why did you get this invitation anyway? Do you know Tony or something?"

Steve reluctantly let her go of her and chuckled softly. "Or something. Didn't you notice the invitation said that the charity event was to raise money for military veterans?" he said with a shrug. It seemed like good reasoning in his mind and he hoped that Aly would buy it when he tried to explain away why he would've gotten an invitation to something like this. He wasn't sure how to explain that he did know Tony Stark after all and Steve hoped to keep Aly in the dark until he was ready to explain things to her. "That's probably why I got one."

"Oh. Maybe," Aly said with a shrug, although she got the feeling that he wasn't telling her everything. The reason made sense, of course, but she wasn't sure it was the whole truth. She slid off of his lap and called the number on the invitation to R.S.V.P. She gave Steve a little smile, leaning against the door frame between the living room and the kitchen while she was on the phone. She wound up talking to a very nice woman who sounded very excited that Aly had called to say that she and Steve would be coming. When she hung up the phone, she really had the feeling that Steve wasn't telling her everything.

"You know what this means, right?"

Steve raised his eyebrows as he looked at Aly, not sure what she was hinting at right now. It was bad enough that he was going to be dragged to a charity event held by Tony Stark. He had no idea what else Aly could possibly want out of this situation. "No, what does this mean?" he asked, almost mocking the tone that she'd just used. There was a hint of a smile on Steve's lips and he saw the corners of Aly's mouth upturn slightly. "Clearly this means something."

Aly giggled and shook her head at him in an amused sort of way. She kissed him softly and then nodded. "It means that I have to find a dress for this event. I can't show up to a charity event being held by not other than **the** Tony Stark in anything that I already have in my closet," she said with a brighter smile now.

Steve sighed a little and shook his head, pulling Aly closer to him once she was in his lap again. He wasn't so sure he was qualified to go dress shopping with her. "And does this mean that I have to go with you on this hunt for this perfect dress?" he asked. He was a little concerned that the answer was going to be yes but if that was what she wanted, Steve knew he'd go with her. He supposed that he could at least offer up his opinion on dresses after all.

Aly nodded with a bright smile and kissed the tip of Steve's nose, making him chuckle. "It means you get to come with me to find that dress and you, sir, need to rent a tuxedo," she said. She seemed to look him over, raising an eyebrow with a little smirk on her face. "That's something I can't wait to see."

"What's that?" Steve asked, chuckling at the way that Aly was looking him over right now. He couldn't possibly imagine what she saw when she looked at him right now because he still felt like that skinny kid from Brooklyn that women didn't look at twice. "Me in a tuxedo? I don't think that will be that …" He didn't get a chance to finish his thought because Aly was kissing and nibbling on his neck and her hands were slowly brushing down his chest to his stomach. Suddenly Steve couldn't quite think straight and he chuckled a little. "What are you trying to do to me, Alyssa?"

Aly giggled and softly kissed his lips. "I'm not trying to do anything," she said, her tone sweet and innocent. Of course as she said it, her fingers were playing with the waist of his boxers. "Why? What are you feeling right now, Steven?"

He tangled his fingers in her long hair, holding the back of her head and pulling her closer. Steve kissed her hard, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth a bit when Aly moaned against his lips. His hand moved to her shoulders and his other arm hooked just under her knees. Scooping her up in his arms, Steve stood up easily with Aly in his arms. His lips were still on hers as he carried her to the bedroom, that invitation from Tony Stark long forgotten by the both of them.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Thank you again to all you amazing reviewers and readers! We're at (in my opinion) an astounding 10040 views, 45 reviews, 42 favorites and 61 followers! Wow! I think that we're slowly building to a moment that could turn out rather interesting, especially given everything Aly and Steve are going through before he finally tells her about his 'alter ego'. That's a moment that I can't wait to write and we're getting there! So hang in there and I promise this is going to get interesting. And hopefully the ultimate 'ending' that I have in mind will work out nicely as well. Keep reading and I'll keep writing!

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"You should move in with me, Steve," Aly said, her fingertips lightly tracing the indents of his abdominal muscles. Her head was resting on his chest and when she looked up at him, she saw that Steve had a small, blissful smile on his lips with his eyes closed. Aly laughed and poked his side. "Are you listening to me right now, mister?"

Steve peeked at her out of one eye and chuckled. He crooked his finger at her and chuckled again when Aly sat up, the sheet wrapped around her the only thing covering her skin right now. He licked his lips softly as he looked at her. The way her hair was tousled and the fact that he was well aware of how naked they both were right now made him a little dizzy at the moment. Steve had no idea what she'd said now that he was looking at her. Sometimes Aly made it hard for him to think. "What did you say?" Steve asked, mostly because he really hadn't heard her.

Aly leaned in and softly kissed him and then laughed. "I said that you should move in with me," she said with a little shrug. She bit her lip softly though, watching Steve for his reaction to that. It was clear that she was nervous about asking him that but Aly wanted to know if that was something that Steve might want. "If you wanted to."

Steve raised his eyebrows at Aly, surprised that she'd asked him something like that. Still he had to admit that he liked the idea. He liked the idea of seeing her all of the time, falling asleep with her in his arms like this every night. He realized that he could keep her safe if he was with her all of the time like that. Steve sat up and pulled Aly toward him. He sighed when her arms wrapped around his waist and she rested her head on his shoulder. Steve gently stroked her hair, smoothing it down a little, and kissed the top of her head. He took a moment to enjoy having her close although he quickly realized that taking so long to answer her might freak Aly out. It was clear to him already that she was worried that she shouldn't have asked him to move in with her.

"Do you really mean it?" Steve asked. He lifted her chin to get Aly to look him in the eyes. She smiled and nodded a little. "Then I guess I'm moving in with you."

Aly's eyes widened when he said that and she shifted to straddle Steve's lap. She softly bit her lip when he groaned as she pressed herself hard against him as hugged him tightly. Then she kissed him softly, her hands cupping his face. She ran her fingers through his already messy hair. When she pulled back, Aly brushed her thumbs against his cheekbones and she smiled brightly. "Do _you_ really mean it, Steve?" she asked with a smirk, giggling when Steve nodded his head with a grin. "I love you, Steven Rogers. I really do."

Steve chuckled softly, gently taking her hands in his and lacing their fingers together. "I love you too, Alyssa Harper," he said with a grin. He couldn't get enough of saying that to her. In fact, he couldn't seem to get over hearing her say that she loved him too. "Can I count on you to help me pack next weekend?"

"The charity event is next weekend," she said with a little shrug, laughing when Steve made a face at the mention of it. Aly gently punched his arm, shaking her head a little. "We should have time to start packing if you really wanted. Or you could start packing while I'm at work. Whatever you want to do."

Steve rubbed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. She giggled when he did it and he smiled a little brighter. He loved that sound, especially when Aly was close to him like this. That usually meant that she was a bit excited. His hands moved around, one pressing into the small of her back. She moaned softly when he pulled her even closer. Steve brushed his nose against hers, watching her eyes flutter a little as he got in close before kissing her, growling when he felt Aly softly bite his bottom lip. He gently tugged on the sheet that she had wrapped around her body, licking his lips softly as he looked her over. Aly blushed but leaned in and kissed him, pressing her hips tight against his.

Steve's hands were on her ass now and he gently squeezed as he pressed her closer to him. There was no way for them to get any closer to each other but still he tried and he was rewarded with a moan for his trouble. Those sounds served to excite him and it wasn't long before he was fully aroused. He rocked his hips softly, brushing himself against her inner thigh. Aly gave a gentle tug on Steve's bottom lip with her teeth as she pulled back from the kiss, gasping softly. She was biting her lip as she shifted her hips, softly moaning as she felt him inside her. Steve's eyes rolled back in his head as he groaned, his hands tightly gripping her hips. While he let her take control for a short time, he did grab her hips tight and flip them over so he was on top instead. He knew how much Aly liked when he took control so this was his attempt at it.

The way that she gasped with each thrust of his hips seemed to excite Steve more. He growled against her skin, his lips traveling down the side of neck and moving toward her collar bone. Feeling her hips moving with his and her body writhing underneath him had to be the most amazing thing that he'd ever felt. Steve thought he understood now why people made such a big deal out of sex. With Aly, it certainly felt to him like the most amazing way possible to show her how much he loved her.

He seemed to lose all sense of thought and time as they made love. Maybe it had only been five minutes or maybe it was a half hour. He couldn't exactly be sure at this point. All Steve knew right now was that dizzying feeling that seemed to take over when he was with her like this. There was nothing but her gasps and moans and the feeling of Aly's body beneath him. It wasn't until he collapsed beside her in bed and pulled her close that he realized they'd spent quite some time in this bed together. Steve chuckled a little at that, pulled Aly tight against him and kissing her head. She giggled and seemed to wiggle away from him a little.

"You just want to wear me out, huh?" she said with a blissful smile. Aly was well aware that Steve seemed to like to try to go multiple times before he was tired out but she wasn't sure she could handle that right now. She ran her fingers through her hair although that didn't help the major case of bed head that she had right now. "Just how many times do you expect to do that today? You keep it up and I might not be able to walk straight tomorrow."

Steve blushed a little, chuckling and shaking his head. He raked his fingers through his own hair, taming it just a bit. The idea that he could do something like that to her was a little overwhelming to him. In fact, Steve hoped that he hadn't actually hurt her when they had sex. "I'm gentle," he said as if that needed to be pointed out. "Was it really that bad?"

Aly shifted to lie on top of Steve, shaking her head. "What you do to me is anything but bad, Steve," she said with a giggle. She brushed a bit of his hair off of his forehead since it had gotten a bit matted down with sweat and then slowly let her fingertips trail along his jaw. "I'm going to grab a shower. Do you think we can attempt to leave my apartment tonight for dinner? Or should I grab anything out of one of my drawers to wear?"

He shrugged when she asked that, a smirk on his face. If Steve had his way, they'd never leave this bed but he knew that she wanted to be able to get out of bed at some point. He just wasn't ready to let her. "Were you planning on going somewhere special? I mean, you have plenty of food in your refrigerator," Steve said with a chuckle, trying to pull Aly back as she tried to get out of bed. He didn't want her getting out of bed just yet after all. He liked feeling her close and that was really all that Steve wanted at the moment.

Aly playfully rolled her eyes, straddling Steve's legs now as she sat up and looked down at him. She crooked an eyebrow at him and laughed. "You're so much trouble now, Captain Rogers. I'm still going to grab a shower," she said with a shrug. "You could always join me. I guess I'll have to steal your shirt again. Then we can figure out dinner."

"You look good in my shirts," Steve said with a grin. His hands were softly rubbing her hips as he watched her although he still didn't let her go. He was too busy imagining her in one of his shirts at the moment to do something like that. "I think it's your fault that I'm trouble though."

"Ah yes. I introduced you to the joys of sex and now you can't get enough. Is that it?" Aly raised her eyebrow at him again, pursing her lips a bit. She wasn't surprised that Steve had this side to him though. She felt lucky that she was the one that got to reap the benefits of it though. "Come on, soldier. You're looking a little sweaty and sticky yourself after all. Let's get cleaned up before dinner."

Steve let Aly go, watching as she climbed out of bed. He followed her to the bathroom, his hands on her hips as they walked. Aly laughed as he nibbled and kissed her neck once they were in the bathroom. She shook her head at him and turned on the water before climbing into the shower. She looked over her shoulder to see Steve still standing in the middle of the bathroom, staring at her. Aly was blushing but she crooked her finger at him, giggling as he stepped into the shower as well. This was clearly another first for him and to be honest, it was a first for her too. She let the warm water wash over her, enjoying getting to be close to Steve. This was, after all, the most amazing weekend and all she wanted was a chance to soak it all up while she could.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** I'm thrilled to say that this story has reached 10760 views, 48 reviews, 63 follows and 46 favorites. You guys astound me! You humble me as well! I never thought this story would reach such heights but you've been amazing to me and as such, I've been writing like a mad woman! My muse has been well fed and that means the ideas seem to just flow. I truly hope you've been enjoying the story so far and that you continue to enjoy it as it continues. I'm not sure where the end might be but I'm hoping the by the time we reach the end, you all are satisfied with everything you've read. I know that so far I'm very satisfied (and sometimes very surprised) with everything I've written. Thank you all for reading and please continue to read and even give me a little review to tell me what you think.

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Monday morning came too fast for Aly's taste but the day passed rather quickly. In fact, she felt like she'd had a pretty good day. No trouble with anyone in class and she was starting to gain confidence in herself as a teacher. When she came home, she found that Steve had moved most of his things into her apartment. She laughed at that, shaking her head a little. It was cute and funny and very sweet. She hadn't expected Steve to move in so quickly but he seemed to want to get it done as quickly as possible and Aly didn't mind. When he got ready to start dinner, however, Aly took the pan from his hand and turned him around with a laugh.

"Today we order Chinese food and eat out of takeout containers," she said with a little nod. She even gave his ass a light smack as she turned him toward the doorway. "It's not something we've done before and it's high time we did."

"No plates? Are we using chopsticks too?" Steve asked with a chuckle as he wandered into the living room, sitting down on the couch. He watched as Aly stuck out her tongue at him before rummaging through a drawer in the kitchen.

When she came back, Aly had a paper takeout menu in her hand. She laid down across the couch, resting her head in Steve's lap as she looked over the menu. It was one of her favorite Chinese restaurants in the area so she figured that no matter what they ordered, it would be good. "We will be using chopsticks and you'll like it," she said with a nod, laughing as she peeked over the menu to look up at him. "Haven't you ever done something like this before, Steve?"

Steve brushed some hair from her forehead so it wasn't hiding her face so much and took the menu away as well. He smiled at her and shook his head. "No, I haven't," he said with a little shrug. While he hadn't done something like this before, Steve did like the idea of it. It just wasn't something that he would have thought to do on his own. "I take it that you're going to impress me with your chopstick skills tonight."

Aly laughed and shook her head. "I'm not that good with chopsticks but if you've never used them before, I probably will impress you with my skills," she said with a soft laugh as she took the menu back from him. She looked over the menu again, trying to decide what they should order. She wanted to get her favorites but she wanted to make sure that Steve got whatever he might like as well. Aly knew that some people could be picky about food that way. "We should get steamed pork dumplings, chicken fried rice and sweet and sour chicken." She looked up at Steve now, almost holding out the menu for him to take. She didn't know if that was going to be enough so if Steve wanted anything else, she was willing to order more for dinner. Aly knew she and Steve could always eat the leftovers later after all. "What else do you want?"

Steve took the menu from Aly, chuckling when she pouted at him. He looked it over and then shrugged. "Pepper steak, maybe. Some egg rolls," he said as he handed her back the menu. "Did you want any soup? Maybe some wonton soup?"

Aly looked at the menu again and shrugged before reaching onto the coffee table for her cell phone. "We'll stick with the other stuff. The soup is good but I really don't want any soup," she said with a little nod. After quickly dialing, she ordered the food and then reached for the TV remote. "Are we watching AMC tonight or should I put on a movie? I rented a few of those movies we talked about watching."

"Which ones?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Aly.

She hopped up and walked over to her messenger bag, pulling out four plastic cases. She even waved them a little with a smile on her face. When she sat down on the couch, Aly snuggled up at Steve's side with a smile. "I got _Jaws_ and the original _Star Wars_ trilogy. It'll be fun. So what do you want to start with?" she asked, handing Steve the cases.

Steve looked at the DVDs inside and shrugged, handing _Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope_ to Aly. He hoped it would be good because he really wasn't sure about it. When Aly seemed to grin at his choice, taking it from him and bounding over to the TV so she could put it on, Steve was happier with his choice. It was clearly one that Aly liked. He was glad for that much and he hoped that meant that it would be one that he would like too. She came back over, snuggling in at his side again with the remote in her hand. She worked her way through the previews before getting to hit 'play' when they reached the main menu on the DVD. Steve watched the buttons on the remote that she pushed to get a feel for how to work the remote himself.

When the movie started, he chuckled as he heard Aly humming along with the music that played. She read the words on the screen to him in a deeper tone of voice, laughing a little when Steve poked her side as she did it. She scooted away just a little when he poked her side again, this time seemingly trying to tickle her. Aly tickled him back and then settled in with her head on his shoulder and his arm around her. He still wasn't too sure about the movie as it started but they weren't even a quarter of the way through the movie before Steve decided that he liked it. They had gotten halfway through it when someone buzzed to be let in.

Aly paused the movie, rolling her eyes when Steve got up. She was fully capable of getting the food to Steve insisted. He hadn't liked it when she stuffed the money for the food into his hand but he didn't argue about it either. Steve paid for the food and took the bags, locking the door behind him before putting the bags down. Aly came out of the kitchen with two bottles of beer from a local microbrewery, smiling a little. Steve started to pull the food out of the bags as Aly sat down and got out the chopsticks for them. She grabbed the container of sweet and sour chicken, opening it up and adding some of the chicken to a container of white rice. Steve chuckled but did the same with the pepper steak and the other container of white rice. He sat back, the container still in his hand. Aly started to dig into the sweet and sour chicken although she laughed when she saw Steve trying to use his chopsticks. After a couple of tries, she set down her container, getting up and heading to the kitchen.

"Use this," Aly said with a laugh, handing him a fork. She showed him that she had two forks as she sat back down. "Chopsticks are always fun but I don't want to see you struggling with them. Just don't eat all that. I want some too."

Steve chuckled and took the fork, smiling as Aly sat back down. He liked the way that she tucked her legs underneath herself when she got comfortable on the couch. He watched as she started to eat and then realized that the movie was still paused. He gave her a nudge and she restarted the movie as they ate. Aly's attention was back on the TV screen rather quickly as she ate but Steve was watching Aly. After a few minutes, they traded containers and then they shared the fried rice. Aly only ate one of the egg rolls while Steve ate two. He could've eaten more but he didn't want to eat too much. He seemed to try to do that whenever he was at her house. Now that he was going to be living there, Steve was going to have to get more comfortable with eating like he normally would even when Aly was around.

After they finished the movie, Aly gave him a little poke in the side. Although she had been watching the movie, she had noticed that Steve didn't eat as much as she expected. "You hardly ate anything. I know you have a big appetite, Steve, and there's still a ton of food left," she said with a little pout. She looked at the food again and then at Steve. "You better eat some more if you want any more. Otherwise I'm putting it away."

Steve chuckled and quickly grabbed another egg roll, munching on it as he helped Aly pack up their leftovers. After putting it away, he grabbed another beer and headed back into the living room with Aly tucked under his arm. She slipped away long enough to start the next movie before snuggling at Steve's side again as _Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back_ started. Again, Aly started to hum along with the music as it started to play. He realized something as he watched the opening of the movie though, cocking his head to the side a little.

"Why didn't we start with 'episode one' instead of four?" he asked, looking down at Aly who has an amused smile on her face.

"Well when George Lucas made the movies, he started with four, five and six. Then he went back and made one, two and three in 1999 and the early 2000s. They're not bad movies but they're not as good as the original trilogy," she said with a little shrug. "If you want, I can rent those next and you can see the whole story. If we do it this way, it'll be like anyone else who ever saw the movies growing up. We'll see the original trilogy first and then the prequels."

Steve chuckled and shook his head a little. He really didn't understand any of that but he was going to go with whatever Aly wanted to do. "Okay. If you say so," he said with a smile.

"How have you never seen these movies, Steve? Did you grow up under a rock or something?" she asked with a laugh, rolling her eyes a little. Aly pouted a little when Steve seemed to shift uncomfortably. She didn't know what she had said to upset him exactly but Aly didn't want him upset right now. She softly kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry. I won't say something like that again. I know that not everyone has seen _Star Wars_. You like it though, right?"

"Let me guess," Steve said, happy that the subject had been changed from him to Aly. "These are your favorite movies."

"Some of my favorites. We should watch the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy some time. That would take a little while though. The movies are really long but really good," Aly said with a laugh. She poked Steve's side, smiling when he chuckled as she did it. "Now hush and watch the movie."

Steve chuckled and held her close as he watched the movie. It really wasn't that bad. He had to admit that he kind of liked it. It made him curious about these prequels that Aly had been talking about. He was also curious about any other movies that Aly liked or thought that he should see. She seemed to have very specific tastes in movies but Steve had to admit that he liked every movie they'd watched together so far. When the movie was over, Aly yawned and stretched. She kissed the corner of Steve's mouth before getting up. Steve quickly put their bottles into the bin she had informed him was for recyclables before following Aly to the bedroom.

It was funny to him to think that it wasn't just her apartment now, her bedroom. It was their apartment, their bedroom. He liked the way that sounded and he liked that he would be around more. Maybe nothing would ever happen to Aly but Steve felt better knowing that he was there to keep her safe. Living with someone else was going to take a little getting used to but he had the feeling that Aly felt that way as well.

He chuckled as he walked into the bedroom. Aly was already curled up under the blanket, her eyes closed. He wasn't sure if she was asleep yet but she looked so peaceful that he hoped he wouldn't wake her if she was sleeping. Steve changed into a pair of gray striped pajama pants and a white t-shirt and then he carefully pulled back the blanket and sheet. He chuckled again when he saw Aly peek at him out of one eye with a little smile on her face.

"Mm. There you are. Get in bed, silly," Aly said. She sounded and looked sleepy but she tried to stay awake as she waited for Steve to get into bed. She seemed to blink her eyes a few times as if it were hard to keep her eyes open right now.

He climbed into bed and immediately pulled Aly close, smiling when he heard her sigh happily as she snuggled up at his side. Her hand rested over his heart and her head rested on his shoulder. It was little things like that that made him really happy about all of this. It also made him nervous as hell that Aly wasn't going to want to have anything to do with him if she ever found out his secret. Steve knew he'd have to tell her eventually. In fact, he knew he should tell her soon. They were getting too deep into this relationship for him to still be keeping secrets from her but he didn't know how to tell her about himself. His life was crazy, even to him. He wasn't sure he understood everything. If he didn't understand it, how could he expect that Aly would believe him when he did finally tell her?

Steve kissed her forehead, smiling when he realized that she had fallen asleep. Aly seemed to fall asleep rather quickly actually. Not that he minded. He had a hard time sleeping most nights to be honest. When he was with Aly, though, he found that he fell asleep a little easier and he slept a little longer than he did when he was alone. On the nights that spent the night with Aly, Steve could forget about everything for awhile. Tonight his mind was too full of thoughts of explaining his story to Aly for him to fall asleep just yet.

He watched her while she slept, lightly twirling some of her wavy blond hair around his fingers, watching it curl a little when he let go of her hair. Steve knew how much it would hurt if she wanted him to leave her alone once he told her his story. The thing was that he knew that the longer he waited to tell her, the harder it was going to be. He just didn't want to scare her away. Steve realized, however, that there was no good way to tell her about himself. It was a crazy story and he was going to have to try to tell it to her eventually. Steve just hoped that it was going to go well once it did happen.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** And now we get to the things that I previously wrote. I was working my way to these next few chapters but I'm still going to try to take my time with posting them up because I have to keep writing what comes after all of this! Thank you to all of your for the 11337 views, the 51 reviews, the 64 follows and the 46 favorites. You guys are amazing and I'm hoping that no one will be disappointed with what's coming up. Now is when I start to get nervous because soon you'll be seeing my attempts at writing Tony Stark as well as Aly's reaction to Steve's 'secret'! To those of you who have told me that you like Aly and Steve as a couple all I can say is ... THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! That means the world to me because I love writing them so much and they feel real to me which is something that I hope comes across in my writing. So enjoy the new chapter and keep an eye out because hopefully I'll have another chapter up for you guys soon!

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The rest of the week passed in a blur. Steve finished moving the rest of his things into her apartment and Aly had gotten very busy with her student teaching, making more lesson plans and grading homework and quizzes and tests. She was trying her best to do what she could while on her lunch breaks but the teacher she was working with seemed to enjoy giving Aly as much to do as possible, which made spending time with Steve much harder than she liked. The only time they had to themselves was when they ate dinner and when they climbed into bed together each night.

Each night they watched a new movie though, making some headway into the little list of movies that Aly thought Steve had to see. Most were movies that he found himself enjoying although some weren't as an enjoyable as he had expected. Still he'd watch the movies with Aly and then would clean up after dinner while she finished up anything she needed to do for class. She pointed out to him one night that it wouldn't be long before she'd be an actual teacher, just a few short months actually. Steve wasn't sure if that was meant to reassure him or not.

Friday night she made him promise that he'd go with her to the department store the next day so she could pick out her dress for the charity event. It was happening on Saturday and she knew she was cutting it close but Aly hadn't had time before then to go looking for a new dress. Steve had rolled his eyes at the idea, which earned him a punch in the arm from Aly, but he agreed to go with her because it would make her happy. Of course he pointed out several times that he was going to be horrible at helping her find a dress but she didn't care. She wanted him there to help her find the right dress.

Saturday morning, Steve woke up to breakfast in bed, Aly's way of making the day a little better for him. She knew that he wasn't happy about going dress shopping with her so she figured she'd do something nice for him to hopefully make the day seem a little less terrible. Of course after eating, Steve didn't exactly let Aly out of bed again until it was almost noon. After grabbing a shower, during which Aly insisted that they take separate showers since she knew Steve would try to be trouble again, and getting dressed, they headed out to find Aly the perfect dress. She did stop to grab a cup of coffee before they got to the department store in question.

She headed straight for the dresses when they headed inside and Steve followed behind her as she picked things out. He didn't offer her any advice because he really didn't know what she was looking for but he held the things that she said she wanted to try on. He knew that would mean sitting in the fitting room as well but he figured it wouldn't be too bad. He could sit and she would show him the dresses and hopefully she'd give up on this whole idea if she couldn't find the right dress.

As much as Steve wanted to make her happy, he really didn't want to attend this charity event so he was hoping that Aly would get frustrated while shopping and that she'd give up and tell him that they could just stay home and watch movies together. Better yet, he figured he could offer to take her to the movies instead. That was something that they hadn't done yet and Steve liked the idea. What he didn't realize was that Aly was tenacious and she wasn't going to give up until she found what she was looking for.

* * *

Aly did a twirl in front of the three-way mirror they had in the fitting room and sighed at the sight. This was the fifth dress that she'd tried on since they got here and none of them seemed right at all. Everything seemed to scream "high school prom" so far and it was starting to get a little disheartening. Aly sat down on the bench with a sigh. The poufy dress looked like it had swallowed her whole and when she looked over at Steve, he was laughing softly at her.

Aly gave him a pout and rolled her eyes a little as she played with the tulle skirt of this dress. She really didn't see how this was amusing to him. "I'm never going to find a dress, Steve," she said, sounding as tired as she felt right now. She'd been looking for hours and had been trying on dresses for awhile now. It was becoming more of a chore than she would've imagined. "This is a lost cause."

"Well we don't have to go," Steve said with a shrug. He was sitting in a chair facing her with an amused look on his face. He was going to let her decide what their next move was as much as he wanted to say that they shouldn't go at all. Steve wanted that to be Aly's decision after all. "Or we can keep looking around for a dress. It's up to you, Alyssa."

Aly wrinkled her nose when he called her Alyssa. Steve was the only one, besides her parents, who could get away with calling her Alyssa without her getting defensive. She knew that even if she asked, he wouldn't stop calling her Alyssa some of the time and she could live with it now and then. She stood up and threw her hands up in the air with an exasperated sigh. Aly knew that Steve was waiting for her to call this off, to say that she'd rather spend the night hanging out with him at home. That was the reason that she wanted to go.

"We're still going. I R.S.V.P.'ed for us. You don't have a choice. I'm going to find a dress if it kills me," Aly said with a determined nod of her head. Granted, she was cutting it close with finding a dress but she wanted to go. She wanted to do something out of the ordinary for the two of them. They'd tried before to do 'fancy' and it hadn't worked out but a charity event sounded like it could be fun.

Aly waved over a sales associate and asked if she could get some help. She explained to the young woman where she would be going and what she was hoping to find when it came down to dresses for the event. The sales associate seemed to light up as Aly described everything to her. The brunette young woman, who couldn't be much older than Aly actually, nodded and headed off with a grin on her face. It was clear that the sales associate was up for the challenge of finding the perfect dress for Aly.

Aly saw Steve sigh when he realized that she'd asked for help and she kissed his cheek softly before heading back into the fitting room. She had just finished taking off the dress she'd picked out when the sales associate came knocking on the door. Aly peeked out from behind the door and shook her head at the first two dresses that the young woman, whose name Aly now could see was Katie, had brought back. They were very pretty but not what she was looking for. The sales associate showed Aly two more dresses and both seemed to be suitable for a charity event so she took them into the fitting room and tried the first one on.

Aly slowly came walking out in a one shoulder silky dress in bright pink. She stopped at the mirror and did a little turn. It was much shorter than the ones that she'd picked out on her own, just skimming her knees. She got on her tiptoes as if she were in a pair of heels and did another turn to look at herself in the mirror before turning to Steve. From the look on his face, she could tell that he liked it. Aly walked over and took his hands in hers. "This better than those poufy things I was looking at before?" she asked with a little smile.

Steve nodded, looking her over again now that she was closer to him, lacing her fingers with his. "Are you looking to get all of the attention in the room or are you going to try to blend in a little better?" he asked with a chuckle.

Aly blushed and looked down at the dress with a shrug. She thought it was a beautiful dress but if Steve thought it was a bit much, then it was a maybe at the very least. "I like it. This is a definite maybe. I have another one and Katie went to look for a few others," she said before letting go of Steve's hands and walking back to the fitting room with more of a swing to her hips than was really necessary. She knew he was watching though so she wanted to mess with Steve a little. Aly heard him chuckle as she slipped into her fitting room again.

After a few moments, she came out in the second dress. This one was a navy blue with sequins on it. Aly liked how it sparkled. It was sleeveless and it reached her knees as well. She looked in the mirror again, doing the same thing she did last time. She did the little turn and got on her tiptoes again as she looked herself over, trying to imagine what the dress was going to look like with heels. Then Aly looked over at Steve. He looked impressed although not as overwhelmed as he had with the first dress. She cocked her head to the side and looked in the mirror again before walking over to Steve. That wasn't the reaction that she was hoping for.

"And this one?" She liked this one but she was starting to second guess it now. Aly was looking to impress Steve with her choice but not overwhelm him too much. It was proving to be a tough balancing act.

Steve smiled softly, nodding. "I think it's better than the first one. Not as flashy," he said with a chuckle. He took her hand in his and kissed the top of it softly. "I think that no matter what you put on, you're going to steal the spotlight though."

"I think that it's even flashier than the first one but I like this one too," she said with a little nod. Aly was blushing a bit and leaned in to softly kiss Steve. Her lips lingered on his for a bit longer than she had intended.

They were interrupted by the sales associate clearing her throat. When Aly looked over, she saw that Katie had three more dresses in hand. She smiled and took them from Katie before heading back into the fitting room again. She came out three more times in the dresses and each time, she would look to Steve to see what he thought of the dress she had on. One of them, a strapless red dress that came to about mid thigh on her, seemed to be vetoed right away by Steve as a no. Aly laughed at that and while she liked the way that it had fit, if Steve didn't want her in the dress, then she knew she had to find another one.

It was finally decided that she'd get the last dress that she had tried on. It was tight fitting and metallic black with cap sleeves. It skimmed her knees and while it had a bit of a "conservative" look to it since she'd be rather covered up, Aly liked that it was metallic and how fitted it was. Steve liked the way that she looked in it although he seemed to like the way that she looked in each of the dresses, except the red one that he had found too short, among other things. This one, however, was the first one that they completely agreed on and Aly knew better than to continue to look for something else.

They left the store with the dress and a pair of black stiletto heels that Aly had picked out to go with the dress. Finding shoes had taken far less time actually. The first pair that she found and tried on seemed perfect to her so Steve suggested that they get them before Aly could start looking through more of the shoe department. Aly said that she had jewelry at home that she could wear with the dress although Steve had insisted that she get everything that she wanted to wear to the event. The thing was that Aly didn't feel comfortable with him spending too much money on her. The dress and the shoes were more than enough.

They stepped outside the department store, arm in arm. Steve was carrying the dress, the dress bag draped over one arm. Aly had the bag with the shoes in her free hand. As soon as they were on the street, she hailed a taxi and the two of them climbed in. Aly slid in first, setting the bag with the shoes down, and carefully set the dress on her lap as Steve slid into the taxi as well. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek softly as soon as he was sitting next to her. Aly lightly rested her head on Steve's shoulder, both of her arms were wrapped around Steve's arm, hugging it tightly.

"You're still going to steal the spotlight," Steve said with a chuckle as he looked over at her. He brushed some of her hair from her face and kissed her head softly. "I know that every guy there is going to have his eyes on you when you walk into the room."

Aly blushed but she tapped his chin with a soft giggle. "Well I'll only be paying attention to one guy there so I don't care who else looks at me," she said with a shrug, smiling brightly. She leaned in and softly kissed Steve's lips before telling the driver where to drop them off.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** Short update. I'm so sorry but I'll make up for it in the next couple of updates. Of course those next couple of updates might be slower coming. I want to perfect them before I post them after all! Enjoy this update though. Thank you for the 12540 views, 54 reviews, 70 follows and 48 favorites. You all continue to astound me and I'm so grateful for all of it. You're amazing people!

* * *

When Steve offered her his hand as she got out of the taxi, Aly smiled. Things like that were still amazing to her whenever he did them. He was always such a gentleman and Aly loved that about him. She really did think that more men should behave more like Steve did. It was a nice change of pace to be treated with such respect. She put her hand in his and let him help her out and then waited while he paid the taxi driver. The event was that night and Aly knew that she'd been procrastinating getting ready for it but that was because she didn't know what to wear to something like this. It was her first charity event and Aly hadn't thought that she'd ever find the right dress. Now she had the dress and the shoes. She just had to finish putting together her whole outfit. Steve had picked up his tux earlier that morning and Aly was excited to see him in it.

They headed up to her apartment, which was actually more their apartment now that Steve had all of his stuff there. It was just taking some getting used to for both of them to refer to it that way. She figured that they could grab something to eat and then get ready for this charity event. Aly was nervous but excited about it. It was her first 'grown up' party and she knew that there would be a lot of local celebrities and politicians at the party. That made her nervous because Aly had no idea what to even talk about with people like that but she figured that it would be all right as long as Steve was with her.

She had tried asking Steve why he'd gotten an invitation the day that it had arrived but he didn't seem to want to talk about it. She only got a very curt answer from him about it to be honest. It was one of those things that he seemed to be keeping to himself for some reason or another. As usual, she didn't press the issue with him although she was very curious. Aly had been trying to figure out the connection that he had to the charity ever since but couldn't find one other than what Steve had told her. She was hoping that maybe if she asked a few more questions now, Steve would finally give in and tell her why he had gotten this invitation in the first place.

She carefully hung up her dress in the bathroom, leaving her shoes on the floor near the dress. She took a moment to really look at it and smiled. She was excited to put the dress on and to see Steve's reaction to her all done up for this event. Aly was overwhelmed by all of this but it was amazing at the same time. She couldn't wait to go tonight actually. She took the dress bag off and smiled a little brighter at her dress. Aly had never seen something so beautiful before. Even for prom, her dress wasn't anything spectacular. This dress and these shoes were amazing. She just hoped that she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb at this charity event.

Aly wandered into the kitchen where Steve was digging through one of the cabinets, looking for something. "When are you going to tell me the real reason that you got that invitation?" Aly asked, walking up behind Steve. She put her hand on his back, slowly letting her hand slide up his back with a little grin. "Come on. You promised me that you'd start telling me more, Steve."

Steve turned around and pulled Aly toward him with a grin. His hands lightly held her hips and he shook his head. "You want the truth? Let's just say that I know someone who will be there," he said with a little nod, hoping that answer would be enough to satisfy Aly right now. He honestly didn't know where to begin if he were going to start to tell her the truth so this was going to have to be enough for now. "Ask me almost anything else and I'll tell you. Just don't ask about that again. Okay?"

Aly gave Steve a little pout before nodding her head. "Fine. I won't ask about it again," she said with a nod. As much as she wanted to know, she figured that pushing would just make him mad and that was the last thing that she wanted. She wrapped her arms around Steve, hugging him tight for a moment before letting go and walking over to the refrigerator. Aly grabbed two bottles of water and handed one to Steve. "I figure that we can eat a little something before we go. Is there anything that you want me to make?"

Steve shook his head, setting aside the bottle of water. "No, ma'am," he said with a smile, chuckling when Aly started to blush. He couldn't figure out how he managed to make her blush but Steve loved it when she did. "We can cut up some fruit if you really want to eat something light before we go. I don't think that we need to cook anything. That might be a bit much. There will be food there."

Aly wrapped her arms around Steve's neck with a light laugh. "I think we have time to cook, Steve," she said, cocking her eyebrow at him. "If you'd rather cut up some fruit though, we can do that." After a quick nip at his lips, she stepped away from Steve, laughing when she saw the look that he gave her as she walked away. If he had other ideas on how they could pass the time before they left, Aly wasn't going to let that happen just yet. She didn't want to be late after all. She pulled out the fruit that she knew she had in the refrigerator. After grabbing a cutting board, Aly walked over to the table and sat down.

Steve came over to the table with a bowl and two knives. He pulled over the garbage can for them before sitting down. He didn't say anything as he started to peel one of the oranges, tossing the sections of it into the bowl after he got it peeled. He was watching Aly a little as she cut up and then cubed some honeydew, adding that to the bowl as well. He looked over and before he knew it, they had a nice fruit salad in that bowl. Steve stood up, getting ready to grab a couple of smaller bowls for them but Aly shook her head at him when he got up. She patted the chair and picked a strawberry out of the bowl, taking a huge bite of it. He walked back over, brushing some juice off of Aly's chin and licking his thumb before sitting down with a smile.

"We're just eating out of the bowl then?" Steve asked with a chuckle. He watched Aly finish the strawberry before she tossed a grape in her mouth, nodding with a soft laugh. He smiled, shaking his head at her before he started to dig in as well.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** This update is much, much smaller than the last one and I apologize for that. This was written kind of last minute and put in to be a transition between what we had before and the actual party. Next chapter = Tony Stark shaking things up. Finally. I may or may not be procrastinating with putting that part up. My apologies! I want to thank each and every one of you for your 13674 views, 60 reviews, 73 follows and 50 favorites. I'm still astounded by you guys and I still appreciate each of you so much! Enjoy!

* * *

Steve sat on the couch, fixing his bow tie and sighing softly before tugging a little on his tuxedo jacket. He didn't understand what was taking Aly so long to get ready right now. It normally didn't take her this long to get ready in the morning after all. All he'd done was put on the tux that he'd rented and ran a comb through his blond hair. Nothing more, nothing less. He didn't know what she could possibly be doing right now that could take so long. It seemed that Aly had to take an hour to get ready and he didn't understand that at all. He rolled his eyes a little as he waited, sighing again.

"We're going to be late," he called out, an amused look on his face right now. Steve looked in the direction of the bathroom door and couldn't help chuckling a little. For someone who wanted to go to this event, Aly sure did take awhile to get ready and he didn't understand why that was. "I thought you didn't want to be late."

"I'm almost ready. Don't rush me," Aly called out from the bathroom. The tone of her voice was a little exasperated or maybe just tired.

He heard the cabinet door closing and he shifted a little, thinking that she had to be nearly ready at this point. Then Steve heard the water running and he sighed softly although he didn't sit back yet. She had to be ready soon after all. He started to bounce his leg a little as he waited. It wasn't that he wasn't a patient man but Steve couldn't fathom what could be taking her so long. All she had to do was brush her hair and put on a dress and some shoes. How that took almost an hour didn't make much sense to him.

He heard the doorknob being turned and jumped up since she was finally ready. He watched the bathroom door, waiting for Aly to step out. When Aly finally opened the door and stepped out, Steve suddenly understood what all the fuss had been about. While she had looked like a knockout the day that they had planned on going to Il Bucco for dinner, she looked even more amazing right now. How that was possible, Steve didn't know but it was very true. She was breathtaking, literally, because it took him a moment to realize that he'd been holding his breath as he looked at her.

Aly looked down at her fitted metallic black dress, smoothing her hands down the skirt and nervously chewed her lip as she looked at Steve. Finally she did a little turn for him after walking into the living room. "So what do you think?" she asked after her little spin.

Steve's eyes were open wide as he looked her over. In fact, he couldn't seem to stop staring at her. He didn't know how she wasn't going to have all eyes on her when she walked into this event because Steve thought that she was the most beautiful woman that he'd ever laid eyes on. He saw her blushing when he looked her over again. Aly was looking at her feet, not sure what to say right now. Steve walked over to her and lifted her chin, smiling softly. Then he softly kissed her lips, grabbing her hips and pulling her close to him. He rested his head against her forehead with a bit of a grin on his face.

"You're breathtaking," Steve said, almost whispering the words to her. His lips were so close to hers but he didn't kiss her. Not yet. He wasn't trying to tease her. Steve wanted her to know what he thought when he looked at her in this dress. She asked for his opinion and he planned on giving her his whole opinion. "You're going to steal the spotlight when we get there. I told you before. Every man is going to have his eyes on you, Alyssa."

Aly shook her head a little, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. How he could possibly think that was beyond her but she was going to take the compliment. She kissed his cheek, near his ear and whispered to him. "I love you, Steven Rogers. You're the only one I'll even be paying attention to tonight."

Steve smiled as he let her go, offering his arm to her before they headed out. "Shall we?" he asked with a chuckle. Aly nodded and hooked her arm with his as they walked to the door. He could tell she was nervous but so was he. He was just hoping that Tony Stark wouldn't open his mouth tonight and say something to Aly that Steve wasn't going to be able to explain away.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: **You guys are still astounding me! Every single time I update, I get a shock from you all. So we've reached 14341 views, 63 reviews (!), 74 followers and 52 favorites. Wow! Here's a really big update for your trouble. It's a cliffhanger of sorts. I'll update as soon as I can. I promise!

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Aly looked around the grand ball room, her eyes widening as she took it all in. It was more amazing than anything that she could have imagined and she certainly tried to imagine what this would be like from the moment Steve had gotten the invitation. The room was decorated exquisitely and there were tables full of trays of finger foods. There were flowers everywhere as well. Wait staff wandered around with trays of different drinks and there was a fully stocked bar that nearly stretched along an entire wall. It was more incredible than anything that Aly had ever seen. She really felt like she didn't fit in at all here.

Steve gave her hand a squeeze, bringing her attention back to him. She looked at Steve with a giggle and smiled brightly, giving him a little nod. They walked around a little, mostly because Steve wanted to give Aly a chance to take this all in and it was a lot to take in at once. Aly was tempted to grab a drink off of one of the trays as someone passed them by, thinking that she'd needed it. She let it pass her by instead, holding tighter to Steve instead. He wasn't as impressed by it but clearly she was and he just wanted Aly happy.

As they wandered around, they stopped a few times to say hello back to people who gave them a wave or said hello first. It was never more than a hello and exchanging a few pleasantries with them though, not that Aly minded. However the moment that Steve saw Tony Stark, he started to lead them in the opposite direction. The problem was that Tony spotted them as well. He was already weaving his way through the crowd toward Steve and Aly before Steve could pull them deeper into the crowd. Steve gave up trying after a moment and waited for Tony to reach them with a sigh and a roll of his eyes.

Tony stopped a waiter as soon as he reached Steve and Aly, grabbing them each a flute of champagne and passing them around. When he got a look at Aly, he hesitated, pulling it back for a moment. "Are you even old enough to drink?" Tony asked, looking her over again with his eyebrows raised. He looked at Steve and nodded toward Aly. "Is she old enough to drink? Are we keeping her out past her curfew? Does your mother know you're here?" He looked at Aly, eyes twinkling with humor.

Aly raised an eyebrow at Tony and sighed, reaching for and taking the champagne from him, pursing her lips a bit. Steve chuckled at her before taking a sip from his glass and she wrinkled her nose when she looked at Steve, trying not to laugh. "I am old enough for this. Thank you," Aly said with a quick nod to Tony before taking a sip of the champagne.

"Where did you find this lovely young lady, Cap? Trolling the high schools?" Tony asked, trying not to laugh at the look on Steve's face right now. Clearly Aly had a sense of humor about all of this though because she hadn't slapped him yet. "You do know the age of consent in the state of New York is 17."

Steve sighed, trying to keep from rolling his eyes. He didn't want to give Tony any more ammo than he seemed to be capable of finding on his own. In fact, Steve was biting his tongue right now and if he wasn't careful, he knew that he would be literally biting his tongue soon to keep from saying something to Tony. "I met Aly at the gym and she's 21, if that's any of your business," he said with a quick nod.

"Oh. I see. Then this is the infamous Alyssa Harper that I've heard about," Tony sarcastically said with a nod before taking a sip of his champagne. He took Aly's hand in his and kissed the top of her hand, flashing Aly a cheeky grin. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Steve's told everyone so little about you."

Aly softly laughed, rolling her eyes in a playful way. She gave Steve's arm a gentle swat. She had asked him about this and he had said that he didn't know Tony but yet Tony Stark was telling her right now that they did know each other. Aly didn't understand why Steve didn't admit it when the invitation showed up at the apartment that day. "You didn't tell me that you know Tony Stark, Steve. Why didn't you tell me that you know Tony Stark?" she said with a smile, laughter lacing her voice.

"It didn't seem that important," Steve said with a shrug before taking a drink of champagne. He almost mumbled the words actually, knowing that this wasn't going to go well at all. It was times like these when he wished he could get drunk or at least get a bit of a buzz from alcohol. Now that Tony was talking to Aly, he had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

Tony did his best to look shocked and hurt by what Steve said, although he wasn't the least bit surprised that Steve hadn't really told Aly anything. He lightly squeezed Aly's shoulder with a little smile. "Well that hurts, Captain Rogers. That really hurts," he said, looking at Steve. "You wound me, sir." Tony's attention shifted to Aly with a smile. When he mentioned Steve again, he jerked a thumb in Steve's direction. "How did you get stuck with Mr. Old Fashioned here? You don't look like the type of girl who likes to date old men."

Aly smiled as she looked at Steve once Tony mentioned him. She even gave Steve a nudge with her hip. "I don't think of it as being stuck with him. I think it's a little more of the other way around and he's stuck with me," she said with a laugh, looking at Tony now. "And don't you start in on Steve for having manners. Most guys these days won't even open a door for a woman. Steve pulls out my chair at restaurants and helps me out of the car. I like that he's a gentleman."

"So you _like_ that he's …" He paused for a moment as if he was trying to find the right word to describe Steve without saying the wrong thing. Not that Tony was that worried about saying the wrong thing anyway. "Old school? Well, looks like you've got a keeper here, Cap," Tony said with a chuckle, slapping Steve on the back. Then Tony held out his hand to Aly but looked over at Steve. "Do you mind if I borrow your lovely date for a moment?"

Steve looked at Aly. She looked at Steve and shrugged. "I suppose that's up to her. Don't you think?" he said although the look in on his face seemed to be begging Tony to challenge what he was saying. While he and Tony got along these days, it wasn't as if they were best friends. In fact, it was safe to say that Steve and Tony would never be the best of friends. Steve was waiting for Tony to say or do something that crossed a line right now but so far that hadn't happened, although to be fair Tony was skating on thin ice right now.

Aly placed her hand in Tony's with a soft smile, knowing that Steve was hoping that she'd say no. Curiosity, however, was getting the better of her so she saw no harm in going with Tony for a bit. She could take care of herself after all and she doubted that Tony was going to try anything. Aly set down her champagne flute on the nearest table and gave him a nod. "You may borrow me for a moment, Mr. Stark," she said with a nod. "Since Steve doesn't mind."

"Please. Call me Tony. When people call me Mr. Stark, I think they're talking about my father," he said with a smile, leading Aly toward the dance floor. He noticed that Aly had lightly taken hold of his arm as they walked and it seemed a little clearer to Tony what it was about Aly that Steve seemed to like so much. She clearly did like to be treated well. It was obvious that she appreciated a gentleman. He saw this as even more reason to make sure that Aly knew about Steve. He was aware that Steve hadn't told her a thing about his past although Steve didn't quite shut up about Aly after he met her. "I hope you don't mind me borrowing you to dance but Pepper's been chatting up some politicians and they were actually boring me."

Aly laughed softly, shaking her head. She really didn't understand why she had Tony's attention right now. It made no sense whatsoever but she was going to go with it. She wondered how well he knew Steve and if she could find anything out about Steve through Tony as well. "I can't imagine you getting bored talking to politicians and other important people," she said with another shake of her head. "Instead you're asking me to dance."

Tony chuckled and lightly placed one hand on her waist, taking Aly's hand and placing it on his shoulder without saying anything right away. Then he took her other hand in his and started to waltz with her. There were only a handful of people dancing when they reached the dance floor but once Tony was out on the dance floor, it seemed like everyone else followed suit. Before Aly knew it, the dance floor was full. She let Tony lead, dancing with him and glancing over to see Steve watching them with a scowl on his face. Tony seemed to notice it too, giving Steve a nod and a smile as they waltzed past Steve at one point.

"So how did you two crazy kids meet?" Tony nonchalantly asked. He looked down at Aly with a curious look on his face. While he had a captive audience, he was going to take advantage of it. "I mean, Steve's told the story before. Something about seeing you in a boxing ring, you had some old guy on the ropes. What really happened?"

Aly laughed softly, shrugging. The idea that Steve talked about her with Tony Stark was funny to her. "Actually it happened just like that," she said with a soft smile. She glanced over her shoulder at Steve and then looked at Tony with a brighter smile. "I was boxing with Nate, who by the way isn't that old. Steve came in and watched us spar for awhile. We went to dinner after he blew off some steam and we started spending time together after that. It's not that interesting of a story."

Tony nodded, a bit of a smile on his face. "So the old man wasn't lying," he said, his tone a bit thoughtful. When Aly gave him a confused look, he realized that he'd said that louder than he'd intended. "It's nothing. I'm just a little surprised to hear that Steve was telling the truth."

Aly cocked her head to the side. "Because he's prone to lie?" she asked, sounding confused. While she'd never known Steve to lie, she wondered if Tony knew him better than she did at this point. "I've never known Steve to lie before."

Tony chuckled, shaking his head. "No, although I'm betting that he's been omitting a few things when talking to you about his past," he said with a bit of a shrug. The song ended but he kept them waltzing as the next song started. When Aly didn't ask him to stop, he figured that it was okay to keep dancing and it was the best way to keep her talking without the super soldier hovering. "Can I ask you something?"

Aly sighed softly and then nodded. She didn't understand what Tony was getting at but if he had a question, she wanted to know what it might be. She was already feeling a bit spun by talking to him but Aly couldn't help her curiosity right now. "Okay. Fine," she said with a quick nod. "Shoot. I'm an open book."

"That makes one of you," Tony muttered with a soft chuckle.

"Excuse me?"

Tony chuckled and gave her a little shrug, waltzing Aly a bit farther from Steve this time. The last thing he wanted was for Captain America to overhear him. "It was nothing. Really. So whenever you ask him about his past, what does Steve tell you?" he asked. "I'm just curious to see what he's been saying about himself."

Aly sighed and rolled her eyes. That was not what he was expecting Tony to ask her, although to be honest, she didn't know what Tony wanted to talk to her about at this point. "He tells me all that I need to know. Okay?" she said with an exasperated sigh. Aly had no idea at all what Tony was getting at with any of this and it was starting to give her a headache. "Where are you going with this?"

Tony gave her a smile as the song ended, letting Aly go. He clapped with everyone else, seeing Aly clap as well with a confused look on her face. He gestured off to the side, walking them off of the dance floor. He figured that he had sufficiently spun Aly's head and maybe now she'd ask for more serious answers from the Captain. Tony wanted Aly to find out the truth although he knew it wasn't his place to tell it to her. It was his hope that now that he'd prodded her a little, she'd ask Steve for the answers that she obviously deserved. "I just think that it's only fair that Steve tell you more about himself," Tony said with a shrug. "You can't tell me that you know everything about him."

"Mr. Stark …"

Tony held up his hand, waving her off. "I told you that it's Tony. Please. Mr. Stark was my father," he said with a nod. He started walking and noticed that Aly kept in step with him quite easily. While Tony and Steve didn't get along well, he wanted Steve to be happy and Aly made Steve happy but he knew that the two of them would never truly be happy until Aly knew Steve's 'big secret'. Until Aly knew, Tony knew that there would be this secret hovering over the two of them and that it could ruin everything. He was, after all, just trying to do Steve a favor by doing all of this. "I know what you're going to say, Aly. You're going to say that you know all that you need to know. You're going to say that you don't want to know anything else. I think that you should still talk to him. There are things that you really should know about Captain Steve Rogers."

Aly stopped them before they reached Steve, holding tight to Tony's wrist to get him to stop too. He looked back at her, surprised. Then he looked at her hand and back at Aly again, cocking an eyebrow at her. She felt the heat in her face and she knew that she was blushing as she quickly let go of Tony's wrist.

"I don't think that it's any of your business, Mr. Stark," she said, putting emphasis on his name this time. Aly even glared a little at Tony but the truth was that he had her head turning now and she wanted to talk to Steve. She wasn't going to give Tony the satisfaction of knowing that. "I think that you should apologize to me as well."

"Apologize?" Tony said, stepping closer to her. He chuckled when Aly immediately took a half step back. "Apologize for what?"

"Being rude. You've been very rude to me," she said with a nod. Aly tried her best to look confident but it was difficult while standing here with Tony Stark. She felt intimidated but she was trying to stand her ground. "Apologize."

"A-apologize?" he repeated, sputtering the word this time. Tony said it as if it was a dirty word. With a sigh, he saw that Aly wasn't going to back down. He hoped like hell that she wasn't going to freak out about Steve because she was one tough girl and Tony figured that Steve could use someone like Aly in his life. She just might be able to survive it all without falling apart after all. Finally he nodded and gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Fine. I'm sorry. Happy?"

Aly rolled her eyes and brushed past Tony as she headed over to Steve. When she reached him, she sighed and grabbed his hand, already tugging on him to get him to walk with her. "I need to get some air. Come on. Please," she said, turning around and starting for a set of doors that led outside. She'd spotted them while she was dancing with Tony and right now Aly wanted to step away from this whole charity event. It was starting to feel stifling to her.

Steve looked surprised and then confused but he nodded and let Aly lead him outside to the veranda. No one else was out there at the moment. It was quiet, which he liked right away. He gave Aly a smile and when he saw her shiver, he took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. He didn't say anything as he followed Aly. She walked over to the railing, leaning against it and looking over the side.

"Steve," Aly said, trying not to sound desperate or whiny right now. That was what she was worried about. She didn't want to spook him but she wanted to talk. Now that Tony had her mind turning, Aly couldn't deny that there were things about Steve that she wanted to know. There were things that she had been certain that he was leaving out before when he talked about his past with her but she'd let him slide because Steve seemed uncomfortable talking about it. She didn't think she could let it slide anymore.

Aly took a deep breath and looked over at him. "I think … I think we need to talk. Really talk.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:** This is the longest chapter to date. Whoa! I can't believe it got this long. I hope to have another update sooner rather than later but we'll see how that goes. It could be awhile. It could happen in a couple of days. It'll depend on whether or not I can get time to actually write! Again, I say thank you to each and every one of you for your 15903 views, 69 reviews, 52 favorites and 83 follows. Thank you for keeping me going. Thank you for surprising me every step of the way. I never thought this story would catch so much attention so this is a little overwhelming but amazing at the same time. Thank you so much!

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This moment was exactly what Steve had been looking to avoid. He had known that Tony was going to stir things up and now Aly was clearly upset about something. He didn't know what it was although if he had to guess, he figured Tony had made her question why Steve wasn't telling her everything about himself. This was what he'd been trying to avoid but there was no avoiding it now. He knew he had to tell Aly the truth. He knew that he had to tell her about himself. While he had wanted to do it in his own time, Steve knew that he had now run out of time. It was now or never and Aly seemed to be making it very clear that it had to be now.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Steve asked, holding out his hand to Aly. If they were going to talk about it, he hoped they could do it somewhere more private than out on this veranda. This didn't seem like the ideal place for them to discuss his past.

Aly looked over at him and shook her head. "Why was Tony telling me that I should be asking you more about yourself? He made it sound like you had some terrible secret or something," she said as she pulled Steve's jacket closer. She had to bite her lower lip softly because she felt it starting to tremble. The last thing Aly wanted was to seem weak right now. She didn't want Steve to comfort her. She wanted Steve to give her a straight answer.

"Please, Alyssa. Can we talk about this at home? I don't want to talk about it out here," Steve said, frowning a little. He could see that she was upset and he didn't want to upset her further in such a public setting. And he was pretty damn sure that he was going to upset her once he finally told her everything.

"For once, Steve, can you stop avoiding the damn question?" For the first time since she'd met Steve, she was actually raising her voice at him although she didn't mean to do it. Aly was tired of all the run around, especially when right now she was out right asking him to tell her the truth. All she wanted was a straight answer, not to have someone else talk in circles. She'd had enough of that during her conversation with Tony.

Steve walked over to stand next to Aly. He leaned against the railing and looked out at the night sky. He wasn't sure she'd want to look at him after he told her his story and he sure as hell didn't want to see her face as he explained things to her. He didn't want to see that disappointment. Steve really didn't want to see that moment when Aly decided that she didn't want to be with him anymore. Still he knew that it was time. He'd avoided this long enough. She deserved answers and he was going to give them to Aly, no matter what that meant for them. He felt her take a step closer to him and glanced over to see Aly standing next to him, her arm brushing against his as she looked up at him.

Steve took a deep breath and sighed as he let it out. He closed his eyes for a moment before slowly turning away from her. "I don't even know where to start," he softly said as he looked back out at the sky.

"You should probably start at the beginning. That always seems like a good place to start," Aly said with a soft smile on her face. She gave him a nudge to try to get him to look at her. She may have raised her voice at him but she wasn't mad at Steve. She was, however, exasperated at this point. That headache was starting to get a little worse too. "It can't be that bad, Steve. Just start at the beginning and I promise to listen."

Steve glanced over at her again before turning a bit and reaching for Aly's hand. "I'm worried that once you find out, you're going to hate me," he said, looking down at her hand in his. They had gotten too deep, too involved before he told her everything. He knew that now. That was what made this so hard for him. Steve loved her too much at this point and losing Aly would kill him. Already he felt like his heart was breaking because he really didn't see how this was going to end well. "This is actually a pretty big thing. Tony wasn't lying when he made it sound like I have a secret and it's a doozy. I want you to know, Alyssa. Actually I've been thinking about telling you for awhile. Just couldn't find the words."

Aly lifted Steve's chin so he was looking at her and she gave him a reassuring smile. She didn't know what he was going on about but since she was the one asking him for the truth, she felt like she owed it to Steve to really listen without judgment. She hated that he wouldn't even look at her right now. "Hey. All I want is the truth from you. I don't care how crazy it sounds," Aly said with a shrug. Maybe what he had to say was the craziest thing that she'd ever heard but right now all she wanted was for Steve to talk to her. "You've never lied to me before so I don't see how I'll find anything that you have to say that far-fetched, Steve."

"Oh, well this might sound more than a little crazy," he said with a soft, almost sad smile. It was crazy though. His whole story was crazy. His life was unbelievably crazy actually. He didn't know how to begin but since she kept saying to start at the beginning, Steve figured that was as good a place as any to start. "First of all, Aly, I'm not as young as I look. I … Well when I was younger, I … I wound up volunteering for a government program. This isn't the beginning but it's as close to the beginning as I can get without it really sounding nuts." He chuckled in an almost humorless way and shook his head. Steve knew already that he wasn't going to make a bit of sense but he was going to try. He wanted to try anyway. "They … they were trying out this serum in the hopes of making a 'super soldier' so they took me, just a skinny kid from Brooklyn who wanted to join the Army, and … and they injected me with it and … and they used radiation to make it work and … and I came out looking like this."

Aly raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. In fact, she looked him over with a look of disbelief. She blinked a couple of times, not sure she understood him at all. How this made any sense at all was beyond her because right now she felt a little dizzy trying to understand what he was saying. "So … so you were kind of a … a science experiment then?" she asked, trying to wrap her head around it. That part seemed like it could be almost believable, although Aly didn't understand what that had to do with Steve saying that he wasn't as young as he looked.

"You could say that," Steve said with a nod. He looked her in the eyes and he could see how confused she was and he knew it wasn't making it any better. The thing was that he was pretty damn confused himself as that didn't help things. "This all happened to me, Aly, I promise you that but it happened … a long time ago. There's … there's a reason that I'm sometimes a little clueless about things. It's because a lot of this is brand new to me." When Aly cocked her head to the side and he saw her narrowing her eyes at him, Steve knew that he'd confused her even more. There was no way for him to explain this without sounding like a complete lunatic. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to gather his thoughts because he knew that his next words were going to be important. "Alyssa, I'm … I was … well I was frozen in ice for several decades and …"

"Wait. What? You were … you were frozen?" Aly said, letting go of Steve's hand, her eyes widened in shock. She took a step back and looked at him as if she were seeing him for the first time. She shook her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She was pretty sure that she had a migraine right now and she knew that she felt dizzy. She should probably sit down but Aly wanted to make sense of this right now. "W-what are you even saying? S-several d-decades? Steve, I … I don't understand."

Steve sighed, looking down at his feet now. This was what he had been trying to avoid. The way that she was looking at him, like he should be committed to a mental institution, and the tone of her voice were things that he had been trying to avoid. He knew that the next words out of her mouth were going to be for him to leave her the hell alone. Steve hoped that he could find a way to convince her that he wasn't crazy and that she would be better off with him than without him. He knew that he was better off with her than without her after all.

"I know how crazy this sounds, Alyssa. I do. I'm not even sure I fully understand everything that happened to me and I went through it," he said, his tone soft now. He reached for her hand and was surprised when she pulled her hand away from him. Steve looked down again, swallowing hard. The end was coming. He knew it but he wasn't going to let go without some kind of fight. "I just need you to believe me. You have to believe me, Alyssa."

Aly closed her eyes for a moment and took a few deep breaths. She was trying to gather her thoughts, trying to sort through the things that Steve had told her. She was leaning against the railing, holding on to it because she thought that she might fall over. The thing was that Aly knew that he would never lie to her. If he was going to lie, she couldn't see him telling her some story like this. It was far too ridiculous to be a good lie after all. That could only mean one thing. It had to be the truth, no matter how insane it sounded.

With a sigh, she put her hands on her hips and looked up at Steve, letting go of the railing as she took a step toward him. "How old are you then? Really?" Aly asked with her head cocked to the side a little.

Steve looked up at her, a hopeful look on his face. If she was asking him something like that, maybe she believed him and if she believed him, maybe this wasn't going to end as badly as he had thought. Maybe, just maybe, he'd get to hold on to Aly. "I guess I'm somewhere around 94 years old now," he said with a shrug. There was actually a blush on his face when he said it. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a little smile. "Crazy, right?"

"Yes. You sound absolutely nuts, Steve. I should have you committed," Aly said with a little nod. She took a few more steps towards Steve as she spoke. Then she reached up and lightly brushed her fingers against his cheek and along his jaw. Aly even let her index finger lightly trace the outline of his lips. He looked real. He felt real. What she felt for him was certainly real. Aly didn't know how she could walk away from him, even if Steve's life was more than a little crazy. "Actually I think I'm the one that should be committed because I believe you. Why in the hell did you wait so long to tell me though?"

Steve softly chuckled, taking her hand in his and lightly kissing the top of her hand. To say that he was happy right now would be an understatement. He was thrilled and grateful and so many other things. He couldn't put how he felt right now into words. Then Steve grabbed her hips and pulled her close to him. He was afraid if he didn't hold her close now, she might still run the other way. "I didn't think you'd believe me," he said, giving her a sheepish smile. He rested his forehead against hers and softly chuckled. "Why do you believe me anyway?"

Aly shrugged a little, her eyes closing for a moment as she breathed him in. Even now the smell of him, that clean scent, was a calming influence on her. "There's something about the way that you looked at me when you were trying to tell me. You've never lied to me before, Steve. If you were going to lie, why tell me a crazy story like this? To be honest, I'm not sure you have it in you to lie to a person," she said with a smile as she slowly opened her eyes again. "And then there's that pesky little fact that I'm in love with you. It makes me want to believe you, no matter how crazy you sound."

Steve chuckled and held her tight. "I do sound pretty crazy. Don't I?"

Aly nodded, softly laughing. Maybe she should think he was crazy and maybe she should run the other way but she couldn't. She didn't want to either. All Aly wanted was to be with Steve. As long as she had him, everything would be all right. "Just a little bit. So you're a super soldier, huh? And are you the only one?" she asked with a little smile.

Steve nodded a little. "There was … an incident after they finished the experiment on me. No one's been able to replicate what they did to me," he said with a shrug. He brushed his nose against hers, leaning in to get ready to kiss her although his lips didn't touch hers yet. "I'm not the only extraordinary person around though. You know, there's a group of us."

Aly pulled back a little as she looked at him, a surprised look on her face yet again. "What in the hell are you talking about?" she asked with a laugh. If it wasn't crazy enough that he was a super soldier, she wondered what he was going on about now.

Steve chuckled softly and gave her a shrug. "Haven't you ever heard of the Avengers?" he asked, feeling that blush creeping up again as he saw the surprise on her face. If he was going to tell her everything, he figured that he should go all in after all. While he was coming clean about being in his 90s, Steve figured that he should come completely clean about his alter ego as well. "You're looking at Captain America, ma'am." When Aly's eyes widened and he saw her jaw drop, he chuckled but he knew that he was blushing brightly. He figured that admitting that was going to get some kind of reaction out of her. He just didn't think that she'd be looking at him like she was right now.

Aly had a smirk on her face after she recovered from Steve telling her that he was Captain America. The night seemed to get crazier and crazier but she liked that he was trusting her right now. With everything. "So I've been doing all those amazing things with a superhero? Well that sure explains a few things," she said with a laugh. When Steve gave her a confused look, she leaned in and kissed him softly before whispering against his lips. "You're a super soldier and a superhero and you do some pretty damn amazing things to me. Now I understand why."

Steve was bright red by this point. He nervously raked his fingers through his hair. Now that he was able to put together what Aly was saying, he couldn't help how much he was blushing. The way that she was flirting with him right now was amazing in his opinion. She was taking everything a lot better than he had imagined. Steve didn't know how to react to what she was saying right now but he was glad that Aly was still flirting with him. "I ... uh … well, yeah," he said with a soft laugh.

"Now there's the Steve I know and love," Aly said with a giggle. She tapped the tip of his nose with a soft smile. "Shy as hell when we talk about sex but still so amazing in every way." She looked over his shoulder at the party and gave him a nudge with her hip, nodding toward the door. She took off his jacket and handed it back to him. "Let's head back inside. I think I need a drink. And something to eat."

Steve chuckled a little as he shrugged on his jacket again. He quickly tucked Aly under his arm as they walked toward the door. He wanted to keep her right there, safe and at his side. The fact that she still wanted to be with him made him happier than he could say. This meant that he could keep her safe. Sure, maybe her knowing the truth would mean that Aly could be in more danger but Steve liked to think that her knowing everything meant that he could keep her safer. He could watch over her better this way.

"You sure you don't want to go home?" Steve asked with a soft smile.

Aly raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him, giggling softly. She shook her head and snuggled in close to Steve. "Let's take a moment and enjoy this party," she said with a little nod. "It's not every day that I get to come to a charity event like this."

Steve softly laughed as they walked into the party again. "Oh trust me. This won't be the last time you get invited to something like this," he said with an amused shake of his head. He had a feeling that Tony was going to invite them to parties like this more often. "Tony Stark isn't going to let us miss a charity event from this point on."

Aly laughed and gave him a little shrug. She didn't see how that was a bad thing although Steve didn't seem so excited about the idea. "I guess I'll need more party dresses," she said, laughing when Steve let out a groan when she said that. She punched his arm lightly as she wandered them over to a table full of food. Aly looked at everything and then looked over at Steve. "You're going to love going shopping with me, Steve. Now can we please, please, please get something to eat? Look at all this food. I'm starving."

Steve chuckled and kissed the top of Aly's head with a grin. "After we get out of here, I think we should grab a pizza or something," he said with a little nod. When Aly looked up at him, her eyebrow raised, Steve laughed again as he handed her a plate. "I have a big appetite."

"There's a lot about you that isn't little, Steve," Aly said with a smirk. She laughed when she saw Steve blush bright red at her comment. She really didn't understand why he still blushed at moments like this but it was very sweet. "My shy but amazing man. I love it when you blush."

Steve chuckled, knowing that there was no way for him to actually stop from blushing when Aly said certain things. It was an involuntary response and one that he really didn't find that cute or sweet or whatever it was that Aly seemed to like about it. He grabbed a small plate, handing it to Aly. He watched with a grin as she loaded up her plate, following suit with a small plate of his own. Steve found a table for them, setting down his plate before pulling out a chair for Aly. When she blushed as she pushed the chair in for her, he leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"I love it when you blush," he whispered, chuckling as he kissed her cheek.

Aly rolled her eyes a little as Steve sat down next to her. She slipped off her shoes and put her feet up on his lap with a giggle. He looked down at her feet on his lap and then looked at Aly with an eyebrow raised. She just smiled and shrugged as she nibbled on some of the food on her plate. When Steve ignored the food in favor of rubbing her feet, Aly's eyes rolled back before closing. She had to bite her lip to stop from moaning although there was a soft smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"I take it you like that," Steve said with a chuckle. He laughed louder when all Aly did was smile and nod her head in reply. He continued to massage her feet for a bit before shifting her legs off of his lap. He stood up and leaned in to kiss the corner of her mouth. "I'll be right back. Don't you move."

Aly giggled and nodded. She stopped a waiter as he passed by with a tray of drinks, grabbing two flutes of champagne. With a soft smile on her face, Aly watched everything that was going on around her. Couples dancing together, small groups of people gathered together to talk. She sighed softly, a little smile on her lips. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she jumped, putting her hand to her chest. She laughed at herself when she looked up to see Tony Stark standing beside her.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to the chair where Steve had been sitting.

Aly nodded, crossing her legs and then crossing her arms as she looked at him. "I never did get to say thank you to you for inviting Steve and I to this event," she said with a little nod.

Tony smiled and gave her a little nod as well. "Have you talked to him yet?" he asked. While he had been bold before, he was actually being a bit cautious now. When she nodded, Tony's smile grew just a bit. "And how did that go?"

Steve walked up and put his hand on Tony's shoulder. "I don't know, Tony. You tell me," he said. He nodded to where Tony was sitting. "You're in my chair."

Aly smiled at Steve and stood up, patting her chair. "Sit here," she said with a soft laugh. She shook her head a bit when Steve blushed although he did walk over and sit down. Aly sat on his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Tony looked them over, a bit of a smirk on his face. "I take it that it went well then," he said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "You're a real piece of work."

Aly looked surprised, cocking her head to the side. "What do you mean?" she asked, not sure she understood what Tony was getting at with that comment.

"You don't think he's crazy?"

Aly laughed and shrugged. "Actually he sounded completely crazy," she said with a little smile. "I believe him because Steve's never lied to me before and because no one would be stupid enough to make up a story that crazy. If he was going to lie about something, I really don't think he'd make up a lie that sounded remotely like that."

"There was something else," Steve said with a chuckle before kissing her shoulder softly. When Aly blushed, he grinned because it seemed like he couldn't make her blush as easily as she could make him blush. He had to admit that he liked it when she did blush.

"And what was that something else?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrows as he looked them over. They made an adorable couple to be quite honest and it was nice to see Steve in such good spirits. Clearly Aly was good for him so Tony, while he wouldn't say it out loud, was actually happy that this worked out. "Oh come on. Don't be shy now, you two."

Aly laughed and rolled her eyes. "Well … I told Steve that there was also the pesky little fact that I'm in love with him," she said with a shrug. "That helps too."

Tony chuckled and shook his head a bit. "Like I said, you're a piece of work. You found yourself a keeper there, Spangles. Hold on to that one," he said with a grin.

Steve rolled his eyes but he was in too good of a mood to call Tony out for that damn nickname. It was better than some of the names Tony could call him though so he couldn't complain too much and really, right now, Steve wasn't in the mood to complain. He gave Aly a squeeze and kissed her shoulder again. "I plan on it," he said with a little nod. "Trust me."

"Well you two crazy kids, and I use that term very loosely here, have fun," Tony said. He clapped his hands once and then rubbed them together. He chuckled and shook his head a little. "Looks like a damn picture for Hallmark or something. Mr. All-American and little Miss Blondie. You're perfect for each other." He laughed a little as he walked away, shaking his head in that amused sort of way.

Once Tony was gone, Steve softly kissed Aly's neck. He smiled when he got that little whimper out of her for his trouble. "You sure you don't want to head home yet?" he asked, giving her that puppy dog pout in the hopes that it would work this time.

Aly giggled and rolled her eyes, lightly brushing her fingers against his cheek. "Don't I get a dance?" she asked. "Just one. Then we can go."

Steve sighed as he looked out on the dance floor. Aly had looked so graceful dancing with Tony earlier. He was worried that he was going to step on her toes and make a fool out of himself. "Are you sure? I mean, I'm not a good dancer," he said with a little shrug.

Aly wiggled a little out of Steve's arms and slipped on her shoes again before standing up. "Come on, soldier. Show me what you've got," she said with a little grin. She laughed when Steve took her hand with a sigh as he stood up. She could see how reluctant he was about this but Aly knew that it wouldn't be that bad. There was no way it could be that bad actually. She led him to the dance floor with a smile. Then she put his hands on her hips before she let her arms snake around his neck.

"Now just sway with me to the music," Aly said with a little grin. "It's not that hard at all. I promise. Just loosen up and sway to the music."

Steve didn't realize that he was that tense until she told him to loosen up. He sighed again and wrapped his arms more fully around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Once she was pressed against him, he actually found it easy to sway to the music with her. He didn't notice as the songs changed, continuing to sway with the soft, slow music with Aly in his arms. It was easy to lose track of time with her in his arms as well. It wasn't until Aly started to shift in his arms that Steve even thought to stop dancing with her.

"Now who said you were a bad dancer?" Aly asked with a soft laugh as they walked off the dance floor. "You didn't seem to want to stop dancing."

Steve wrapped his arms around Aly from behind, stopping their forward progress. As he nuzzled his nose in her neck, he chuckled. She giggled and wiggled a little in his arms, smiling brightly as she felt him softly kiss her neck. When he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, she let out a little shriek and gave him a slap on the ass. Everyone watched as Steve walked them to the door. He gave a wave to a few of the people who watched and laughed at the scene. Finally Aly gave up struggling and let Steve carry her out the door.

"We're going home," he firmly said. When Aly smacked him on the ass again, Steve chuckled. "No arguments, Miss Harper." He didn't put her down until they reached the street. Then he waved down a taxi with his arm tightly wrapped around her waist. When she snuggled up closer to him, he frowned. "Are you cold?"

Aly wrapped her arms around Steve, holding him close. "A little," she said with a shrug. "Don't bother giving me your jacket though. Just hold me close. I'll warm up."

Steve chuckled and held her tight as a taxi pulled up. He let go of her to help her in before sliding in and telling the driver where to go. Aly slid over and curled up under Steve's arm, lightly holding onto his shirt. He kissed her head softly as they rode back home. He shivered a little when he felt Aly's warm breath on his neck. Her nose brushing against his skin made him shiver again, his eyes closing for a moment. Steve took a deep breath and lifted Aly's chin. He kissed her softly but once he got a taste of her lips, he didn't pull back. He was a little surprised when Aly shifted and straddled his lap. They were in a taxi after all so he really wasn't sure what she was trying to do.

He cupped her cheek softly as he felt her lips part. Steve smiled against her lips as Aly pressed herself closer to him. He slowly pulled back from the kiss, brushing his fingers through her hair a little. Steve felt the taxi come to a stop and he looked out of the window. They were still a few blocks from home from what he could tell. He softly brushed his lips against Aly's with a smile, cupping her face with both hands.

"Are you warmed up now?" Steve softly asked. Aly replied with a giggle and a nod before she shifted so she was sitting next to him again. He pulled her close and watched out the window as buildings passed in the darkness. He felt Aly's body relax against his.

When the taxi came to a stop again, Steve knew that this time they were parked in front of their apartment building. He opened the door and slid out, holding out his hand for Aly as she stepped out of the taxi. Once they made their way inside, she stepped out of her shoes, carrying them. Steve looked down at her and then scooped her up in his arms, cradling her as he carried Aly up to their apartment. He was careful about it as he unlocked the door although he kicked it closed behind them once they were inside. He didn't even flip on a light as he carried her to their bedroom. Aly let her shoes fall to the floor somewhere in the living room. As he laid her down in their bed, she loosened her hair and unzipped her dress, shimmying her way out of it as she watched Steve undress as well.

"You're trouble," Aly said with a giggle.

Steve shook his head as he unbuttoned his shirt, looking her over. He watched as she stood up and helped slide his shirt off of him. He let her pull off his white t-shirt as well, his hands on her hips, softly rubbing her hips. Steve picked Aly up, chuckling as he felt her legs wrap around his waist. She smiled softly at him as he pushed her back against the wall. Hearing her moan made Steve growl softly. His hands brushed along her outer thighs as he pressed his body tight against hers. He reached between them and unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, letting them fall to the ground. Aly giggled softly as she pulled Steve closer with her legs, licking her lips softly as she looked him over a bit.

"You're trouble," Steve said with a chuckle, his voice coming out a bit deeper and rougher. He pressed himself closer to her with a grin on his face. He leaned in and kissed and nibbled on her neck softly, chuckling against her skin when he heard Aly moan softly.

"You like it though," Aly said, a soft, lazy smile on her lips. Her hands brushed his upper back, her nails lightly digging into his skin as her neck arched and her eyes fluttered closed. "Mm. I like it too."

"Oh trust me," Steve said with a grin. "I know." He kissed along her jaw, his lips moving slowly against her skin. When she shivered, he pressed himself closer against her. "I like being trouble too." He was sliding down the straps of her bra as he said it, his lips sliding against her skin. Steve kissed along her now bare shoulders and then along her collarbone. He wrapped his arms around Aly and carried her to the bed, laying her down and gently laying over her. He took off her bra and then slid her panties down slowly. He had every intention of showing Aly how much he loved her right now and Steve knew that they were both going to enjoy every moment of it.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:** Slower updates because now I'm having to start writing again! The last two chapters had been written ahead of time so now it's time for me to get my writer's hat on again and start writing. Keep the reviews coming though because they've been inspiring the ideas for upcoming chapters. Thank you all for your 71 reviews, your 54 favorites, your 88 follows and your 17535 views. I'm still astounded every time I get a notification in my email! You are all amazing! Enjoy the new chapter.

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When Steve rolled over in bed Sunday morning, he frowned when he felt one side of the bed was cool to the touch and empty. He peeked out of one eye and realized that Aly was nowhere to be found. With a soft sigh, he rolled out of bed, shivering a little when his feet hit the hardwood floor. He looked around for his boxers and t-shirt but neither were on the floor where he'd left them last night. He felt that heat in his cheeks although he was alone in the room right now. He walked, naked, over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Steve rubbed the back of his neck and swallowed hard when he found the drawer full of Aly's bras. He picked one up, red and lacy, and quickly put it back into the drawer. He closed it quickly and took a deep breath, trying to shake off the mental images in his head about Aly in that little lace bra.

As he opened the next drawer, the smell of fresh brewing coffee from the kitchen reached him in the bedroom. He took a deep breath and smiled, looking over his shoulder at the open door, before looking in the drawer. While this one had Aly's panties in it, he found that his boxers were in the drawer as well. That part was a relief because he wasn't sure he wanted to keep looking through the drawers. He pulled out a black pair and quickly pulled them on. Steve was going to look for his t-shirts but he thought better of it. He had no idea what he'd find in the other drawers and he made a mental note to ask Aly where she moved everything.

His bare feet made almost no noise as he walked from the bedroom to the bathroom. As he walked, Steve was pretty sure he smelled something cooking. He thought it might be pancakes but he entirely wasn't sure. He smiled to himself as he closed the bathroom door. After quickly using the bathroom and washing his hands, Steve wandered into the kitchen. He leaned against the doorframe and watched as Aly bounced around, her hips shaking a bit. She was wearing the white and gray striped boxers that he'd had on last night as well as the white t-shirt he'd been wearing. She had it tied up in the back which left her stomach mostly exposed. Steve licked his lips a little as he watched her, trying to keep from letting his imagination get the better of him.

She had her earbuds in her ears as she continued to bounce around to the music only she could hear right now. Aly flipped the pancakes on the skillet and then bounced her way over to the refrigerator, her hips swaying to the music as she dug around and pulled out a small tub of butter. When she turned around to head back over to the stove, she jumped dropping the container on the floor when she saw Steve standing there. Aly put her hand over her heart and took a few deep breaths before she pulled the earbuds out. She bit her lip softly, smiling a little. She was blushing as she looked Steve over and then quickly hurried to the stove to take the pancakes off the skillet before they burned.

"You scared me half to death," Aly said, sounding a little breathless. She was still recovering from being startled by Steve. She poured more batter on the skillet to start more pancakes. "Good morning, sleepy head. You slept in today. I'm surprised."

Steve chuckled and walked over to the coffee maker to pour a mug of coffee. "I guess I was tired," he said with a little grin. He added a little sugar and wandered over to the refrigerator for the milk. "Smells good though."

"Too bad we ate all the strawberries yesterday because we could've had them over these. I hope you're hungry. I'm making a lot," Aly said with a soft laugh. She flipped the pancakes and then looked over her shoulder at Steve. "The maple syrup is in the cabinet over there."

"You moved my things around in the dresser," Steve said with a little smile. He walked over, setting down now full his mug as he pulled out the maple syrup. Then he got two plates and forks and set the table for them. While it had been a little embarrassing him to him to have to look through her things to find his own, Steve had to admit that he liked seeing Aly in his things. "I didn't know where my boxers were when I got up. You know, since I had to find new ones to put on. You like to steal my clothes, Alyssa."

Aly giggled and shrugged, blushing softly. She had only taken his boxer and t-shirt because it was convenient and she did like that his t-shirts smelled like him as well. "Sorry. I thought it would be easier," she said as she took off this batch of pancakes before starting another. "I can tell you where everything is if that would help." She shrugged again as she looked over her shoulder at Steve as he picked up his mug again. She would've told Steve that she liked wearing his things because they smelled like him and Aly liked that but she figured that he knew that already.

"I'd like that. It's not bad that you moved things around. I just wasn't expecting it," Steve said with a nod before taking a sip of his coffee. He picked up her cell phone with one hand and looked it over. After a few moments, he put it back down again and looked at Aly with a grin on his face. "So what's on the agenda for the day today?"

As she put another batch of pancakes on the plate, she smiled, blushing a little under Steve's gaze. "Feel like watching a few more movies? Tomorrow is going to be pretty crazy so I think I want to stay in today," she said with a little nod. She turned off the burner and started to clean up, nodding to the plate of pancakes so Steve would take it to the table. "I think we still have a few on the list that we haven't watched yet. Now that I know that you haven't seen a single movie made after the early 1940s, I think we have a lot more ground to cover with films."

Steve chuckled, shaking his head a little as Aly walked over to the table. He pulled out her chair, sliding it in for her once she was sitting down. Then he sat down as well. "Do you intend on getting me up to speed with popular culture then?" he asked with a little grin. He eyed the pancakes but Steve was going to wait to let Aly take food first.

Aly took two pancakes and smothered them with butter and maple syrup, looking at her food as she spoke. "I could. We haven't even started on music," she said with a soft laugh. "It seems like you could use a course in pop culture, Steve. Since you're living here, I can easily work on teaching you a thing or two about movies and music."

Steve nodded with a soft smile. He took four pancakes and proceeded to smother them with butter and maple syrup as well. "That sounds good to me. So you said you're going to be busy tomorrow. What's going on?" he asked, cocking his head to the side a little.

Aly giggled as she looked at Steve's plate. It didn't surprise her that he'd taken twice as much as she had. She grabbed his mug and took a sip before making a little face. It was still too bitter for her taste so she got up to pour herself a cup of coffee. She added French vanilla flavored creamer from the refrigerator before coming back to the table to sit down. She took a sip after she got settled back in at the table.

"Field trip. Not in my lesson plan but it had already been set up so hopefully I can make it fun and educational for the kids. We're going to the United Nations building," she said with a nod. "Too many kids and not enough chaperones though. It's going to be an interesting day. I'd ask you to chaperone but I already know the school won't allow it. Has to be a parent or guardian of one of the kids." She sighed a little before taking another sip of her coffee, watching as Steve started to dig into the pancakes.

"It's alright," he said with a little shrug, trying not to talk with his mouth full of food. "I have to go to … the office tomorrow anyway. Checking in and getting debriefed on some things." He gave a shrug before taking a drink of his coffee.

Aly cut into her pancakes while Steve spoke, nodding. "I take it during all that they're going to have to find out about us. Or do they know already?" she asked, looking at her plate as she spoke. It was clear from talking to Tony that Steve had mentioned her before so she wondered if he had mentioned her to anyone else.

Steve smiled a little and shrugged. "They know a bit about you already. I suppose they'll have to know all about you sooner or later though," he said, giving Aly a little nudge with his leg under the table. While he normally played by all of the rules, he could see why it might be wise to keep from telling Director Fury everything about Aly. After all no one needed to know that she knew everything. Steve knew that was 'breaking the rules' by doing that but somehow it seemed like it would be better this way. "They don't have to know everything."

"That sounds like you're going to be breaking some rules," Aly said, looking over at Steve with a raised eyebrow. She took a bite of her pancake as she watched his reaction to that. When he looked at his plate, she knew that she was right. Aly could tell that Steve wasn't one to break or bend the rules so the idea that he'd bend or break the rules for her was a little amazing. "What would happen if they found out that I knew that you were Captain America?"

"I'm not sure and they don't need to know that though. It wouldn't be breaking the rules. It would just be …"

Aly rolled her eyes a little. "It would be omitting some of the truth," she said with a nod. "I get it. They'd probably debrief me and pretty much force me to technically join this group that you work for. You don't have to tell me everything you do, Steve, and I guess … it makes sense if you don't tell them everything too." She'd do whatever it took to keep Steve though so if he did tell them that she knew everything, she'd do what it took to hang on to him. If he wanted to bend the rules for awhile, she'd let him do that because Aly knew that she could never actually tell him what to do anyway.

Steve nodded and tried to think of a change in subject right now. He didn't even want to think about what was going to happen when he went to see Director Fury tomorrow. He just wanted to think about today and spending time with Aly. "So what movie did you want to watch today? How many do you think we'll get through?" he asked, figuring that Aly wouldn't mind talking movies right now.

Aly shrugged a little as she chewed another bite of her pancakes. When she looked at Steve's plate, she realized he was almost done and she pushed the plate with the last couple of pancakes on it over toward him with a little smile. "Eat. Then we'll figure out what movie to watch," she said with a little nod. Aly had a few ideas but she wanted to make sure that Steve ate enough before they talked movies. "I think I have a few movies here that we haven't seen yet. We're always renting movies so maybe we should go through my small DVD collection to pick what to watch next."

Steve chuckled a little and nodded before he took the last couple of pancakes. He smothered them with butter and maple syrup again before taking a drink of his coffee. "What about those one movies that you mentioned when we watched _Star Wars_?" he asked with a quick nod.

Aly covered her mouth as she softly laughed, not wanting to spit out the food that she was eating at the time. "You're talking about _Lord of the Rings_. We can watch the first one if you want," she said, nodding. She had to admit that she liked that Steve remembered that. "You might like it."

Steve smiled a little as he cut into the pancakes, nodding a bit. "You have interesting taste in movies," he said with a chuckle. From what he could tell about her favorites, she liked things that were fantastical. Maybe that was the reason that Aly was so willing to believe him. She seemed to enjoy fantasy movies. "You don't pick out romantic movies. Instead you pick out action and fantasy based movies."

Aly rolled her eyes before sipping her coffee. "I can't help it. They're the most fun. Not that a good dramatic or romantic movie can't be fun," she said with a shrug. "I like action movies. I love fantasy and science fiction movies. What can I say?" She giggled and shrugged again, wondering why Steve was even mentioning that right now.

"Makes sense then," he said with a nod, grinning.

"What makes sense?" Aly asked, cocking her head to the side. She really didn't understand what Steve was getting at right now.

"Why you believed me," he said with another nod. Steve set down his fork and reached for Aly's hand. "You like those fantasy movies. No wonder why you believed me."

Aly rolled her eyes with a laugh. "I told you why I believe you, Steve. I love you and I want to be with you," she said as she pushed her plate away. She hadn't finished everything on her plate but she almost did. When Steve stole the last couple of bites left on her plate, Aly rolled her eyes and laughed again. "The fact that my boyfriend is a superhero is just a bonus."

Steve rolled his eyes this time, although he was blushing. He smiled when Aly stood up and kissed his cheek. He watched her walk out of the kitchen with an eyebrow raised. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked with a soft smile.

Aly stopped in the doorway and leaned against it, a smirk on her lips as she looked Steve over. "Finish eating and maybe you can join me," she said with a wink. She laughed when Steve seemed to devour the last of his pancakes in just a couple of big bites. She was shaking her head as he cleared the table, putting everything in the sink. Aly had just turned to walk away when she felt Steve's hands on her hips, pulling her close. "Alright then. Come on, Steve. Shower time. Then movie time."

Steve picked her up and carried her to the bathroom over his shoulder. He had a grin on his face as he carried her to the bathroom, setting her down on the counter before closing the door behind them. "Sounds like a deal," he said with a nod, grinning as he walked back over to her. His hands brushed up her outer thighs with a smirk, licking his lips softly. He saw her eyes close for a moment and heard her sigh. He knew he was on the right track when he did that, grinning as his fingertips brushed against her stomach. He leaned in and kissed along her jaw. "I love you," he whispered against her skin.

Aly shivered slightly and smiled. "I love you too," she softly said, her voice almost a whisper. She reached back and untied the t-shirt. Steve's hands were still on her skin, under the t-shirt now. With a giggle, she moved his hands higher so he could start helping her out of these clothes. "Shower time, troublemaker. You know what that means."

Steve was grinning as he started to strip Aly down. "It means trouble," he said with a nod, chuckling softly. "It's your fault too. You made me trouble." He wasn't worried about where their clothes ended up right now. He just wanted her naked and the shower part was going to have to wait as well because that was the last thing that was on his mind.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** I know it's been awhile since I've updated and I apologize. I'm reaching a point where I'm trying to figure out how to get to my ending without forgetting any of the important points along the way that I wanted to hit. Thank you all for your 77 reviews, your 91 follows and your 56 favorites. That and the 19579 views that the story has gotten amazes me! Enjoy this chapter and hopefully I'll have the next one ready and up for everyone to read soon!

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Steve raised an eyebrow after Aly turned off the first movie. He was shaking his head a little as he looked at her. He chuckled when Aly rolled her eyes at him and punched him in the stomach. He rubbed the spot where she punched and chuckled softly. She got up and put the DVD away before waving the second one with a little smile on his face. Steve groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose now as he tried to sink deeper into the couch somehow. The first movie hadn't been terrible but it had been long and he didn't think they'd have time to finish it in the first place, not if they wanted to do something other than watch these movies today. He had to admit that at least he understood Tony's reference to Legolas now although it seemed rather silly to him. Agent Barton was an amazing archer but Steve was surprised that he hadn't somehow been offended by the name.

"Are you really going to try to watch the next one?" he asked, wrinkling his nose a bit at the thought of sitting through another movie that long. At a run time of about three hours, Steve worried that he'd fall asleep during this movie.

"Oh please. It's a long movie but we have all day. It's not like we're going anywhere today," Aly said with a laugh as she put in the first disc of the second movie. They made it through the first movie, stopping only once to make lunch. She probably spent more time during that dodging Steve since he had taken it upon himself to try to tickle her the entire time. Aly survived the trip to the kitchen though and they ate and finished the first movie after that. She knew they could make it through this movie before they made dinner although she was starting to debate the merits of ordering something to eat instead. At least then she wouldn't have to contend with the tickle monster while in the kitchen.

"Don't tell me that you're not enjoying the movies?" Aly said in mock surprise, putting her hand on her chest. She hadn't known what to expect but Steve seemed to be sitting through the movies without too much complaining. If he really didn't like something, he tended to make that known pretty quickly so she wondered with the deal was.

"It's not that," Steve said, shaking his head. He wasn't sure how to explain his reluctance to sit through another long movie. He could tell that Aly enjoyed these movies so he didn't want to offend her somehow right now. "They're not terrible. They're actually kind of interesting but they're terribly long."

Aly laughed and shrugged as she fast forwarded past all of the previews to make her way to the main menu. She had to admit that she thought the movies were long too but that didn't make her like them any less. "Do you want to take a little break and stretch your legs or something?" she said without taking her eyes off the TV screen.

"That doesn't sound like a very fun way to take a break."

Aly wiggled away, giggling, as Steve started to nibble on her neck a little. She swatted his hands away with one hand and moved to the other end of the couch, laughing when Steve laid himself across the couch and laid his head in her lap. She looked down at him and shook her head with an amused smile on her face. He looked squashed on her couch and Aly had to wonder if that was at all comfortable.

"Aw. Poor baby. You look absolutely squished right now," she said with a giggle, tapping the tip of his nose with her finger. "How about you sit up?"

Steve shook his head with a smile on his lips, turning his head a little so he could see the TV. He might have been squashed on the couch since it wasn't nearly long enough for him to lie across but he liked this. Especially when Aly leaned down and stole a soft kiss before starting the next movie. He smiled as he felt her fingers running through his hair a little as she watched the movie. He could get very used to moments like this, being lazy and watching movies together. Steve liked feeling like he could actually have some happiness in his life because there had been a time when he'd first woken up that he didn't think that he'd ever find any kind of real happiness. He had something special in his life now and he knew that he was going to do everything to protect Aly and to protect this life that he had with her.

It didn't take long before Steve found himself sucked into the movie although he was betting that it helped that he was lounging on the couch while Aly absent mindedly played with his hair. It was easy to forget everything at a moment like that. He pouted at her when she had to get up to change discs, taking the opportunity to stretch a little though. He watched as Aly wandered away after putting in disc two, smiling softly when she came back with two bottles of iced tea from the refrigerator. She gave Steve a shrug and sat back down, laughing when Steve sprawled himself out on the couch again with his head back in her lap. She set his bottle on the coffee table and then set hers on the table next to her before hitting play.

Steve got comfortable and found himself sucked right back into the movie. Aly's fingers continued to play with his hair until he took her hand in his. She looked down at him with a little pout but he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the top of her hand before lacing his fingers with hers and resting her hand on his chest, right over his heart. He heard Aly sigh softly and Steve smiled, his attention drifting back to the movie. He looked up at her when the movie ended and chuckled to see her eyes closed. He carefully sat up and shifted Aly so she could lie across the couch instead.

He turned off the TV and wandered into the kitchen. Steve was definitely hungry right now and he figured that by the time Aly realized the movie was done and that he was missing, she'd realize that she was hungry too. He moved some things around in the refrigerator until he found everything he'd need to make a nice salad for the two of them. He sliced and diced and chopped the vegetables and put them into a bowl just as Aly wandered into the kitchen.

"Stop right there, captain," Aly said, her voice still sounding a little sleepy. She yawned as she pulled out the folder with the takeout menus and tossed it on the kitchen table. "We'll still eat that since you made it but look for something we can order to eat. Maybe pizza although I was hoping for some fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy and maybe some deep fried mushrooms."

Steve looked at the salad that he'd made and found a cover for the bowl before putting it into the refrigerator. He shrugged when he saw Aly watching him, figuring that they'd eat the salad tomorrow instead. Sitting down, he pulled out a takeout menu and then held out his one arm to beckon Aly over. She sat down on his lap, giggling when he nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck before looking over the menu. He saw Aly's cell phone sitting on the kitchen table as well and grabbed it. It took only a minute before he figured out what he was doing. He dialed the number to some chicken place and ordered everything that Aly had mentioned plus French fries and mozzarella sticks. Steve usually over ordered for them because it meant they would have leftovers and it meant that he could eat more than he might have under other circumstances.

"Should I start the last movie?" Aly asked, resting her head against his, her hands on his arms as Steve wrapped both arms tight around her waist.

Steve chuckled softly, shaking his head a bit. "Will you make it through the movie without falling asleep again?" he asked with a little grin, laughing harder when she twisted a little in his arms and punched his chest. He tried to look like it hurt although Steve probably looked more amused than anything else. "How about we pick something else? We can watch the last movie another night. I think I'm done with Middle-Earth for awhile. If that's alright with you."

Aly laughed and rolled her eyes, nodding. She had to admit that she wouldn't mind a break from the movies right now too. "It's fine, Steve. How about you pick the movie this time? Maybe we can find something on TV," she said with a little shrug, starting to get up.

She laughed when Steve pulled her right back into his lap before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her back into the living room. He sat down on the couch with Aly still in his arms and smiled as she settled in on his lap. She brushed her fingers against his cheek and then kissed the corner of his mouth before resting her head on his shoulder as Steve found the remote. He scrolled through the menu to try to find something, stopping when he saw that _His Girl Friday_ was coming on. He put that on because it was a familiar movie and right now Steve wanted a little familiar after dealing with such a fantastical world for the last six hours or so. When Aly sighed happily and snuggled up in his arms, he smiled and let the movie distract him for a little while.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: **Well here we are. 26 chapters in. 80 reviews. 93 followers. 56 favorites. 20764 views. You guys all still amaze me and I'd like to point out to those of you asking for more action that something is coming. There's going to be a little Captain America moment coming up that I hope will keep this from being just a series of little moments like this one. These moments are fun, of course, but I know that there's more to show you all than just these moments that Steve and Aly share. So hang in there with me. I'm working on it. Slow updates but I WILL work on it. I promise.

* * *

After watching the movie and eventually eating dinner (which arrived about halfway through _His Girl Friday_), Aly and Steve fell asleep on the couch together while watching _The Wizard of Oz_. It was their second viewing of the movie together but it was one that they were both familiar with anyway. After all the movie viewing earlier, on top of eating way too much food, they fell asleep on the couch, Aly leaning up against Steve and Steve with his arm around her shoulders. She woke up first, rubbing her eyes before checking her phone to see what time it happened to be. It was a couple of minutes after midnight but she cleaned up what was left of their dinner, putting the leftovers into the refrigerator.

By the time she came back to the living room, she noticed the TV was turned off and Steve was nowhere to be found now. She made a quick stop in the bathroom before heading into the bedroom, which was where she figured she'd find Steve. He was already under the blankets, making Aly giggle at the sight of him with the blankets pulled up to his chin. She walked over to the bed with a little swing in her hips and grinned when she saw Steve lick his lips as he pulled back the blanket for her. She jumped into bed, giggling again as Steve immediately pulled her close. She wiggled her way under the blankets then and curled up close to him, softly sighing. Steve lightly ran his fingers through her hair, smiling even as he kissed the top of her head.

"Big day tomorrow, Alyssa," he reminded her as he absent mindedly twirled some of her long, blond hair around his index finger. Steve didn't want her to stay up too much longer because he knew that she needed her sleep. She was going to be dealing with young children on a field trip. Steve got the feeling that Aly was going to need all the sleep that she could get. He, on the other hand, wasn't that worried about sleeping. "You should get some sleep."

"I feel like I've been doing a lot of that today. I'm not ready to go back to sleep just yet," Aly said with a softly laugh. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his steady breathing and heartbeat. Her fingers lightly brushed his chest and stomach, tracing the indents in his skin from his muscles and drawing abstract patterns on his skin. She could hear his heart race a little as she did it, smiling more before she shifted and gently kissed right over his heart. "You know what? We should go out to dinner tomorrow. Maybe you could drop me off at the school and pick me up on your Harley. I'd like that."

Steve chuckled, nodding a little. "I'll do that if you promise that you'll go to sleep now. It's late," he said with a smile on his lips as his fingers continued to gently play with her hair. The feeling of her fingertips on his skin made him shiver a little. Her touch was exciting. It certainly made his heart race a little. "We can go out to eat or we can stop somewhere and bring something home. I'll leave that up to you."

Aly yawned softly, trying to hide it from Steve. She knew that if he saw or heard her yawning right now, he'd point out again that she should go to sleep. While he was awake though, she wanted to stay up too. "You promise that you'll take me to the school tomorrow and pick me up at the end of the day?" Aly asked, shifting so she could look up at him. She wanted to see the look on his face when he answered her. "I want to hear you say it, Steve. Please?" She even gave him a little pout, her dimples poking out quite a bit.

Steve smiled, chuckling softly. He sat up a little, shifting so he could kiss her softly on the lips. He brushed his fingers against her cheek and then laid down again, letting Aly get comfortable again. He liked her lying with him like this after all. Feeling her close meant that he could keep her safe and Steve certain had a thing about being able to keep Aly safe. "I promise you, Aly," he said with a nod. "I'll take you to the school tomorrow morning. Or should I say this morning?" He chuckled but with it being after midnight, it was technically 'tomorrow' after all. His fingers were playing with her hair again, twirling it around his index finger with a soft smile. "I'll pick you up after school lets out too. Are you trying to show me off or something?"

Aly giggled and shrugged a little. She used her fingertip to 'write' the words "I love you" on his stomach, smiling when she heard him growl a little. "I might be. Maybe I just want to spend more time with you," she said. "Either way, it's not a bad thing. Right?" This time she couldn't hide her yawn though. Her eyes closed although she tried to stay awake if she could.

"Sleeping beauty needs her beauty sleep," Steve said in a soft, soothing voice. He had a soft smile on his lips as he ran his fingers through her long, wavy hair. "I'll be here in the morning. You know that already."

Aly nodded a little, yawning again. Her hand moved to Steve's side, holding him close. This was her favorite place to fall asleep after all, right in Steve's arms. His body was warm and being in his arms like this made her feel safe and secure. It wasn't hard for her to drift off the sleep in a matter of minutes, although it seemed like she always fell asleep faster than he did. Steve played with her hair a little while longer until he felt his own eyes getting heavy. Watching her sleep seemed to start to pull him into slumber as well. Soon his eyes closed and he fell asleep with Aly lying on him, one of his arms around her. His other hand was resting on the arm that she had wrapped around him.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:** Next chapter? A little danger and a little Captain America. Thank you all for your views and reviews. You've been instrumental in keeping me going and I appreciate it more than I can say. Thank you for sticking with me and still reading my story. If you've just started reading this, thank you for taking the time to read my story. I appreciate it so much. I love my readers (although reviewers hold a special place in my heart) so thank you all!

* * *

Steve stirred a little, watching Aly as she slept. She looked so peaceful right now and he knew that her alarm was going to go off soon to interrupt that blissful slumber. He seemed to always wake up moments before her alarm went off in the morning while it seemed like she'd sleep through it if he let her. To be honest, tonight was the first night that he'd slept without a single nightmare. That was a first for Steve. Even on the nights when he'd stayed at Aly's place before it became their apartment instead of just hers, he'd still have a nightmare or two. They were always the same, remembering something that happened during the war or watching helplessly as his best friend fell to his demise. After waking up from one of those dreams, he'd pull Aly tighter to his body, breathing her in, and drift off to sleep again. Last night, however, he slept through the night without a single nightmare. In fact, his only dream had been the most amazing one that he could remember having to date.

Steve gently brushed his fingers through Aly's wavy hair. He could tell that she was starting to be pulled from her sleep but he didn't want to wake her yet. She looked too peaceful for him to want to disturb her. He softly kissed her forehead as he remembered the only dream he'd had last night. Or at least the only one that Steve could remember having. It was worth remembering though, that much was true. As he watched Aly sleep, he remembered it with a grin on his face.

Aly had been about six or seven months pregnant in his dream (he wasn't exactly sure although it didn't matter because it was a beautiful image either way) and she had looked amazing. There was this glow about her that made her look radiant. She had been outside, sitting at a picnic table, her hands resting lightly on her growing stomach. Steve had been at the grill, making them dinner. It was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky and they were spending it outside, enjoying the last bit of sunlight that the day had to offer. There hadn't been much more to the dream than that. Just the two of them, Aly pregnant and smiling and him, happy as could be. There were no distractions, no interruptions. They clearly weren't in the city anymore, living in a nice house with a white picket fence probably out in the suburbs with a freshly mowed lawn and a little garden. It was something that he wanted to make happen for them. He was sure that Aly would want that little, picture perfect life too.

When the alarm went off and Aly rolled over to turn it off, Steve sighed softly because he knew that meant the day was starting and he wouldn't get to see her for most of the day. Today they were going to spend more time apart that he would have liked but he figured that he could stop somewhere and bring something home for them for dinner. That way neither of them would have to worry about cooking or even cleaning after they ate. Going out to dinner would be nice but he liked it when they stayed at home and watched a movie, sitting on the couch as they ate takeout together. When she looked at him, Steve smiled brightly, running his fingers through her blond hair for a moment. That smile of his was an immediate reaction from him, something Steve didn't even have to think about.

Aly pulled up the covers over her head and grumbled under her breath. The last thing that she wanted right now was to get out of this bed. She was too happy right now, too comfortable in this bed with Steve. The thing was that she didn't have a choice in the matter. She had to get up because she had to go to her student teaching job. There was a field trip to consider after all. Aly didn't know how she got roped into it but she figured that it wouldn't be too terrible after all. The kids in her class were well behaved after all although there was one other class that would be going with them. Still Aly wasn't ready to get out of bed.

Steve chuckled, pulling down the blanket so Aly had to look at him. "Time to get up, sleepy head," he said with a little grin. "Come on. Time to get up, beautiful."

Aly blushed and rolled her eyes at Steve. She pushed back the blanket the rest of the way and slowly climbed out of bed. She yawned and stretched before her feet even hit the floor. "It should be illegal for someone to be so damn happy in the morning," she mumbled with a frown as she shuffled off toward the dresser and then the closet.

"Did you want to hear why I'm so happy this morning?" Steve asked with a chuckle as he climbed out of bed as well. He walked up behind Aly as she stood in front of the closet and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I had the most amazing dream last night." His hands dropped a little lower to her stomach and he rubbed her now flat stomach as if there was a 'baby bump' there instead.

"Oh I've had that dream before," Aly said with a giggle, guessing what Steve had dreamt about from the way that his hands were rubbing her stomach. She had to admit that she liked that he'd dreamt about her being pregnant. It was something that she'd certainly dreamt about before after all. "I like that you've had that dream now."

"And how do you know what I dreamt about last night?" Steve softly asked, his lips on her neck as he mumbled the words against her skin. He smiled a little against her skin when he felt her wiggle as his lips made contact with her skin. "What if it wasn't about you?"

Aly turned in his arms and punched him in the stomach. "It better have been about me, soldier," she said with a pout. She turned her attention to the closet again before pulling out something to wear. Since it was a 'field trip day', she had to look presentable but she figured that she could pull off skinny jeans and a light blue button down shirt with some knee high black boots. She'd look presentable but would feel comfortable and when dealing with kids, that seemed like the best way to go. Steve, however, was still kissing and nibbling softly on her neck, which was very distracting. "Behave yourself. I have to get ready."

He chuckled as he let her go, nodding since he knew that they both had to get ready. "I guess I should get ready too. I have to go to … work and if I'm dropping you off first, I should probably get ready right now," he said with a grin. Steve watched as Aly walked away, shaking his head at the way she seemed to swing her hips a little more when she knew he was watching her. He pulled something to wear out of the closet, taking a little time to at least ensure that he was going to match. The last thing he needed was for someone to comment on his mismatched clothes since Steve was normally quite particular about what he wore. He quickly dressed and headed for the kitchen to get himself and Aly each a mug of coffee.

Steve was in the kitchen when Aly walked in. He let out a low whistle as he looked her over and chuckled when she looked down at herself with a blush. Making her blush was his second favorite thing to do. He handed her a cup of coffee and chuckled again when she took a tentative sip. When he saw the corners of her lips turn up in a little smile, he knew that he'd done something right. Steve leaned against the counter, watching as Aly sipped her coffee again.

"You remembered my creamer," Aly said with a giggle, swirling the coffee in her mug for a moment before looking down at it. She knew that he didn't like the French vanilla creamer that she liked so much so the fact that he remembered to add it to her mug was very sweet. Then again Steve was always doing something sweet for her. She finished her coffee and then headed into the living room to grab her messenger bag, slinging it over her shoulder. Aly poked her head into the kitchen with a little smile, catching Steve as he put their mugs into the sink and finished the Toaster Strudels that he'd made while she had been getting dressed. She giggled and crooked her finger at him as Steve wiped his mouth before following her to the door.

They headed to the parking lot where his Harley-Davidson was parked. He climbed on and peeked over his shoulder to make sure that Aly got on the motorcycle safely. Once she was on, he started it up and headed for the street. Weaving his way through traffic, it didn't take long for him to make his way to the school where Aly worked. This was, however, the first time that he was going to drop her off. Usually she drove herself so he took a moment to take it all in. He was grinning when Aly leaned in and stole a soft kiss, her hand cupping his cheek.

"Now remember, I get out at about 3PM," she said with a little nod. She didn't think that Steve would forget but she was lingering right now, not ready to let him leave. "You'll meet me here?"

Steve smiled, chuckling. He took her hand and kissed the top of it. "I'll be right here at 3PM on the dot. I won't leave if you're late either," he said with a chuckle, winking. He knew that she didn't always get out at 3 o'clock after all. There were times when Aly didn't come home until 5PM after talking to a parent or two or something like that. Other times, she was home by 3PM. "Have a good day."

"Good luck," Aly said with a laugh. She had no idea what Steve might have to do today or where he had to go so that seemed the best thing to tell him right now. She started to walk away, looking over her shoulder when she realized that Steve hadn't left yet. When she reached the door and opened it, she looked back and saw Steve finally pull away from the curb. Aly laughed and shook her head at that before heading inside and to her classroom. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face right now though. Having Steve drop her off today actually made her day and she had a feeling that today was going to be a good day.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N:** Here we are, 28 chapters in and the end is coming near. Plus an epilogue that will leave an opening for a sequel mostly because I can't help myself. So thank you for my 84 reviews. Thank you for the 23059 views. Thank you for the 57 favorites. Thank you for the 99 follows. You all are amazing for sticking with me through this story. Thank you all!

* * *

Aly ushered the group of children that she had with her into the bathroom when one of them said that they had to go. She knew that they all probably had to use the bathroom although only one spoke up about needing to go. That meant breaking off from the group for a moment but that didn't seem like a big deal. She didn't think that the rest of the group would get far while she quickly took four little girls to the bathroom.

After making sure everyone used the bathroom and washed their hands, she ushered them back out so they could catch up with their tour group again. She saw two men off to the side, leaned in toward each other and whispering to each other but she ignored it. While they made her feel a little uneasy, Aly shook it off, deciding that it wasn't her business, and she led the girls in her group back to the main tour group. It wasn't hard at all to catch up with them after all. With three classes in their school group alone, plus several other area schools at the UN building today, it was pretty easy to catch their tour guide without really missing a beat.

Once they rejoined the group, Aly looked back over her shoulder. The men who had been off to the side talking weren't there anymore and something about that felt off to her. She couldn't put her finger on what it was but something wasn't right. She jumped a little when another teacher put her hand on her shoulder but Aly quickly laughed it off, turning her attention to the group. She knew that it would look bad for her not to be paying attention after all. It was just that there was something about those two men that felt off to her and while she knew she should ignore it, there was something in her gut that told her that something didn't seem right.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked before starting to nervously chewing on her bottom lip. She a newer teacher and was only a little older than Aly, in her mid-twenties, with dark red hair that she kept in a short bob. She ran her fingers through her hair as she looked at Aly with concern in her jade green eyes.

Aly shrugged a little as she looked at the rest of the group for a moment as she tried to figure out just what to say to that. "I'm fine, Danielle. I promise. Just a little jumpy today, I guess," she said with a soft laugh. She didn't know what had set her on edge but she knew that she was on guard now. Aly didn't want to freak anyone else out though. After all, it was probably nothing. There was no need to panic someone else.

Danielle nodded a little, turning when a little boy called for Miss Shaw. Aly gave Danielle a little smile and nodded, taking the hand of a little dark hair girl and walking with the group as they continued forward. She figured if she ignored it long enough, maybe that uneasy feeling would go away. There was no reason to worry about something as trivial as two men talking after all. If they had been a security risk, someone would've done something about it by now. With one last glance over her shoulder, Aly continued forward, pushing those thoughts to the back of her head as she watched the kids in her class enthusiastically take everything in as they walked around with their tour guide.

* * *

Steve's hands gripped the arms of the chair that he was sitting in so tightly that when he stood up, he ripped the arms clear off of the chair. When he felt someone's hand on his shoulder, he quickly shrugged it off. When someone grabbed his shoulder again, Steve shoved that person away without even glancing to see who it was. He wasn't sure who it was and he really didn't care. His eyes were glued to the monitor, watching the news as it unfolded. He was grumbling under his breath, pacing back and forth now as the news reported about a group of terrorists that had taken over the UN building. Inside were several tour groups from local schools as well as tourists and UN employees.

"She's in there," Steve growled, his hands balled up into tight fists. It was the first intelligible thing that he'd said since he'd seen the news story. When he turned around, he was face to face with Tony Stark. He had given up listening to anyone at this point and had made up his mind that he was going to suit up and do what he wasn't sure local and federal law enforcement would be able to do.

"They're sending in agents," Tony calmly said, his hand on Steve's chest. He stood in the doorway, trying to keep the super soldier from taking off right now. As much as Tony understood why Steve wanted to go, he knew that Fury wouldn't take too kindly to Steve, in his full Captain America suit, showing up at the UN building just because Steve's girlfriend was being held hostage. As strange as it was, at the moment, Tony was trying to be the voice of reason. "Just sit back and relax, Cap. They sent in Barton. He'll get her out."

"I should be in there. I should be with them," Steve said, still growling the words through gritted teeth. He put his hand on Tony's wrist and roughly shoved it away. He didn't give a damn who S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent in on this. Steve wanted to be there. He felt like he needed to be there. The last person who was going to stop him from going right now was Tony. "I'm going. You can get out of my way or you can suit up and go with me."

Steve was normally straight-laced and always following the rules so this was a new side of Steve in Tony's opinion. They'd been told to stay behind the moment the local and national news outlets broke the story but if Captain America wanted to save some hostages, who was Tony Stark to stand in his way? Tony took a step aside but grabbed Steve's wrist before Steve could leave the room. "I'm not standing in your way but let's look at this objectively for a moment," he said. "There are already S.H.I.E.L.D. agents there, including Barton. They'll probably have the situation under control before we even get there. Is it worth it?"

Steve glared at Tony, wrenching his arm away from the other man. "Aly is in there and I'm not trusting her life to anyone else. I have to go. You can stay behind or you can come with me. I really don't give a damn either way, Stark," he said. "Just stay the hell out of my way."

Shoving past Tony, although it wasn't necessary, Steve stormed off to suit up. He could get to the UN building in a matter of moments. While he knew that this was just inviting trouble, there was no way that he was going to trust anyone to save Aly but himself. It was his job to keep her safe. Steve had promised her that much and now that she was in grave danger, he was going to do whatever he could to make sure he got her and all of those children she was with at the moment out of the danger that they found themselves in right now.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's note:** OH MY GOSH! I LOVE YOU GUYS! If I could hug each of you, I would. I mean it! So we're at chapter 29 and it has brought with it 88 fantastic reviews, 106 awesome followers, 61 awesome favorites and a whopping 24465 views. I could just die. But I won't. Not until the story is finished anyway. Or at least I'll try not to die until I'm done. I adore you all and I hope that you all enjoy this next chapter. I feel like I'm terrible at scenes like this so there will probably be glossing over of details. I apologize in advance.

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When Steve showed up, complete in his Captain America suit, he seemed to turn a lot of heads although that hadn't been his intention. It wasn't as if he could've shown up as Steve Rogers after all. Still more than a few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents seemed ready to defer to him from the moment he arrived although it was clear that it was Agent Barton who was running the show. When he saw Steve though, Clint Barton gave him a little nod. He was willing to defer to Steve as well, not because he didn't want to be running this operation but out of respect for Steve. This wouldn't be the first time that he would take orders from Captain America after all and Clint doubted that it would be the last time.

"What do we have, Agent Barton?" Steve asked, immediately adopting a business-like attitude. Inside, he was a bundle of nerves about the situation but he didn't let that show. As much as he wanted to rush inside to get Aly the hell out of there without a second thought, he knew that there was a bigger picture to deal with. Her life wasn't the only one worth saving after all. Steve couldn't just worry about saving her when there were other civilians inside.

Clint walked over to stand at Steve's right side, nodding toward the building that stood in front of them. "We have couple of men already inside. From what they could see, there are at least a dozen men in there with assault rifles and one with a bomb strapped to his chest. Looks like they went in with the intent of blowing the place up, themselves and anyone else inside included," he said with a quick nod of his head. "There's an opening around back that we can use to get inside unnoticed."

Steve nodded a little, crossing his arms across his chest as he looked at the building across the street from where they were standing right now. He had to shake off the thought that Aly was inside that building, focusing instead of Clint's words and formulating a plan of attack that would result in lives being saved rather than being lost. "And the hostages? Any word on where they're being kept or if they're alright?" he asked, hoping that his voice didn't betray him. The last thing that Steve needed was for anyone to put two and two together. He glanced over at Clint and then over his shoulder at the various agents who were waiting for their cue to infiltrate the building.

Clint gave Steve a quick nod. "They all seem to be gathered in the lobby along with most of the armed terrorists," he said, glancing over at the other man for a moment. There was a hint of a smile on his lips before he continued, the smile quickly fading. "It doesn't appear that anyone has been injured."

Steve let out a sharp sigh and then grabbed his shield, fixing it on his arm. Then he grabbed his gun from the holster at his side, turning around to the agents gathered behind him. "Alright," he said with a nod toward the UN building. "We go in on my mark." He nodded to a group of agents on his left. "You all will follow me in through the front. The rest of you will follow Agent Barton in through the back. We need to get in, get the hostages out and get out as quickly, carefully and smoothly as possible."

* * *

Aly took the hand of the nearest student and pulled him close. Most of the kids around here were shaken up and more than a few were sniffling and softly crying. She was doing her best to keep them quiet. One of the armed men paced in front of them and shot Aly a glare which she returned before hugging the crying child in her arms now. While she knew that she should be scared out of her mind right now, she wasn't thinking about herself. There were frightened children around her and she needed to be strong, to show them that things would be alright even if she didn't know that for certain herself.

Danielle leaned in toward Aly and Aly could see the other woman's eyes were shining with tears. She gave Danielle a quick reassuring smile and just nodded without saying a word. Danielle did her best to adopt Aly's posture, sitting up straighter and comforting the children from her own class as best as she could. Aly could see the other woman's lip trembling occasionally but Danielle seemed to stay strong, or at least as strong as she could manage. A few of the other people around her seemed to be doing what she was doing although a few of the adults seemed to be in tears right now themselves, too afraid of what was going on to be able to comfort the people around them. As much as Aly understood that desire to give in to the fear, she just couldn't seem to do it. Her own life might have been in danger at the moment but that didn't mean that she could sit there and sob when there were other people who needed to see that even a handful of them were strong enough to sit there and help the people around them. The more people that she helped, the more that Aly saw other people doing the same thing.

Swallowing hard when the boy in her arms asked her if they were going to be alright, Aly stroked his blond hair and gave him a smile, nodding. "Of course we will," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I bet that the police are outside right now and before you know it they'll burst in and save us all. Don't you worry about it. We'll be okay."

The boy seemed comforted by her words, nodding a little. He looked up at her with teary eyes and Aly wiped a tear from his cheek with a soft smile. She watched him take a deep breath before sitting down next to her while another child climbed onto her lap. The man pacing in front of them passed her by again and gave her another glare as she pulled the little girl close. Aly quickly looked away this time, rocking the girl that was in her arms. She hummed a little tune, a lullaby that her mother would sing to her when she was scared because a nightmare had woken her from her sleep. Aly hoped that it would help now, that the sound might calm the young girl sitting in her lap right now.

She looked up for a moment and had to blink her eyes twice. It was difficult not to let out any noise when she saw a group of armed men and women in all black on floor up, their guns aimed down at the handful or so of armed men that were in the lobby right now. Aly swallowed hard and looked away quickly. She didn't want someone to see her staring up at what should have been nothing at all. What she did though was manage to get the attention of an older black man in a suit that was kneeling to her left. After a little nod toward upward, she saw the man look up and then look back at her, his eyes wide. Aly just nodded to him and put her index finger to her lips to tell him to keep quiet. She seemed to tighten up the group of children around her and saw that other people were gathering in tighter groups as well.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced up again and would've sworn that she saw a man with a bow in his hands looking down at them. She shook it off and watched as the pacing man walked past her again, oblivious to what was going on just one floor up from where they were right now. She could only hope that meant that whoever it was that had just come in to rescue them would be able to pull off the plan that they had in mind.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N:** Allow me to flail and faint and otherwise freak out right now! You all are amazing! We're at chapter 30 and now this story has 90 reviews (astounding!), 110 followers (incredible!), 63 favorites (amazing!) and 25662 views (overwhelming!) and I have to say that I appreciate all of you! Virtual hugs to each of you. I gloss over a lot in this chapter but I hope that it does its job nonetheless. My apologies. Like I said, we're nearing the end but there will be an epilogue that might just segue way into a sequel as well as something special for all of you as well.

* * *

Everything seemed to happen in such a hurry that time seemed to blend together in a blur. First one of the men with guns had roughly grabbed one of the hostages and paraded the woman, who happened to be at least six months pregnant from the looks of her, over to the front doors. No one could hear the exchange between the man and the negotiators outside but the way that the armed man had come back in such a huff, everyone knew that things weren't going to go their way.

Aly noticed a few people starting to pray and she took a deep breath as she gathered the kids from her class around her. The other teacher from her class, an older woman in her early fifties, moved to sit off to one side of their little group, a few of the children starting to crowd around her as well. Not knowing what else to do, Aly actually bowed her head to pray as well. It wasn't something that she did often but if there was ever a time to pray, she felt like now was the time.

Maybe it was selfish of her but her prayers included begging for a chance to see Steve one last time. It was a stupid thing to be asking of a higher power, especially at a time like this, but she couldn't help that it was something that she wanted right now. Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes and glanced upward once. That was when she saw the man with the bow, something that she'd thought that she'd imagined the first time she'd seen it, motioning to the men and women around him to silently give them orders. She saw the aftermath of an arrow hitting one of the armed terrorists but hadn't seen nor heard when the arrow had been sent flying. Of course that had set off the chaos that soon overwhelmed her and the rest of the hostages.

Aly grabbed as many of the children as she could, seeing others doing the same while other people seemed to take off without any concern for anyone but themselves. She suddenly felt less selfish for her last minute prayers when she witnessed that, at least she was showing more concern for the people around her than some of the hostages. She didn't have much time to think though, running and making sure that as many children as possible found cover. If she didn't have a place to hide, that was something that she'd deal with at the time. She wasn't the important one in this situation. The safety of the children was her first priority. They didn't get too far, most of the exits blocked off but soon the room was flooded with more people dressed in all black.

Aly had to blink twice, shaking her head in a bit of confusion, when she saw who was leading them. At the front of the charge, throwing his shield and pulling out his gun, was a man in red, white and blue and she knew it could only be one person. Her mouth opened in a gasp as she mouthed Steve's name, quickly covering her mouth when she realized that she'd done it. No one was supposed to know his true identity and if she wasn't careful, Aly knew she might give him away by calling out for him. She looked away quickly, her attention shifting to the children from her class as well as the other people that were around her. Aly did steal one glance over her shoulder, her eyes widening again in both shock and then fear as it looked like Steve was about to be overwhelmed by a large man with an assault rifle in hand. She quickly looked away, although she heard a few people whispering about Captain America and she knew that Steve was alright.

Someone ran over to them and Aly only briefly looked up, nodding when she was told to cover her ears and to look away. She, and everyone around her, adopted the same stance as someone threw some kind of grenade. Even with her ears covered and her eyes turned away, she could tell that what it did was let out a loud noise and a bright light, something to distract the enemy. It was over shortly after that although she only knew it was over when she finally noticed people around her getting up and dusting themselves off.

A few of the children seemed excited when someone came over to them. They were chattering excitedly and pointing at someone so Aly turned to see what the fuss was about. Brushing some hair from her face, she looked right up into a pair of familiar blue eyes although his face was covered by a mask of sorts and she had to try not to let out a gasp at the sight. She looked at the gloved hand being held out to her and she placed her hand in his, letting Captain America help her to her feet.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" he asked, not quite able to hide the concern from his eyes although Steve didn't seem to let it show when he spoke.

Aly looked down at herself, looking slightly disheveled and perhaps a little dirty but without a scratch on her, and she nodded. "Y-yes. I'm fine," she said, her voice coming out in a hoarse whisper. She wanted to throw her arms around Steve right now, to kiss him as hard as she could but Aly thought twice about it, quickly looking away to check on some of the children. A few had some bumps and bruises and minor cuts and she did her best to tend to them before someone else came over and started to usher everyone out of the building.

She looked around again, trying to see if she saw Steve. He wouldn't be hard to miss since he was the only one in red, white and blue in a sea of people dressed in all black but somehow he managed to slip out after that brief moment with her. Aly did catch eyes with the man with the bow, quickly looking away from him as she and the others headed outside where the FBI, local police and EMTs were waiting for the hostages. She covered the eyes of a little girl that was next to her as they passed the body of one of the hostages and again when they passed the body of the man with the bomb on his chest. Aly was never going to understand how this happened or how the hell they were getting out of there safely but she knew that the only reason she was still alive right now was because of Steve Rogers and that team of men and women that he led into the building. She had a strong suspicion that the men and women who'd been led by that man with the bow were a part of that group as well. Just like she figured that those were people that Steve worked with, people that he couldn't tell about his relationship with her.

When she was led to an ambulance, Aly followed blindly, letting go of the little girl who'd been at her side as they walked outside. She wasn't sure what she was feeling right now other than some kind of strange numbness. She was doing whatever was being asked of her without thinking twice about it since it seemed easier. There was a man in a suit who tried to ask her questions but she stared off into the distance, not saying a word. Eventually he must've gotten sick of trying to get her attention because when Aly blinked and looked in the direction of the man, he was gone again.

* * *

Aly sat in the back of an ambulance as an EMT checked her out, taking her vitals at the moment. She was unharmed but understandably a little shaken up by the ordeal. She looked out at the sea of flashing lights in front of her. The parents of the children in her classroom had started to arrive, picking up their children to take them home. Aly wanted to be there to reassure the parents that their children were safe and unharmed but she was stuck in the back of this ambulance instead. She wasn't hurt but no one seemed to want to listen to her at the moment, insisting that she be checked for injuries. When she looked off to one side, she saw Steve standing there, watching her although he was trying to be subtle about it.

Only he wasn't Steve Rogers right now.

He was Captain America.

When he'd shown up in the lobby of the UN building, she had been so shocked to see him there that she hadn't known what to say other than gasping and mouthing his name and later letting him know that she was alright when he had helped her up. The idea of him rescuing her and the other people in the building was somehow surreal to her. Maybe she shouldn't have been surprised by it but the last thing Aly had expected was to see Steve in his Captain America suit at a time like that.

For a moment she'd been confused when she first saw him and then she'd done her best to pretend that she had no idea who he was. She had known that was what Steve was doing, pretending that he didn't know her either. Looking into those blue eyes as he held out his hand to her though, Aly had felt her heart race a little. Now that she was looking over at him, she didn't know what she felt.

"Are you sure you're alright, miss?" the EMT asked as he removed the blood pressure cuff from her arm. He looked at her with concern on his face, especially when Aly nodded without saying anything. "It seems like you check out but if you experience any dizziness or if you feel sick to your stomach, you should go to the ER right away."

"I will," Aly said, nodding a little. She looked over to where Steve was still standing. She slid out of the ambulance and started to walk over toward him. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder and quickly looked up. The face she looked at was a familiar one from earlier today but she wasn't sure she knew who the guy was. Aly shrugged away from him, glaring at him although the seriousness of his face made her wonder what was going on.

"It wouldn't be a good idea for you to do that, miss," he said with a little nod toward Steve.

Aly folded her arms across her chest and looked at him, glancing past him to see if Steve was still standing there. Soon she was looking at the man again, sighing softly. "What wouldn't be a good idea? And what business is it of yours anyway?" she asked, snapping a little at this stranger. Aly had just had what she felt like was the worst day of her life so far and this guy was coming around to tell her not to go near Steve? She really didn't see why it was an issue in the first place. She just wanted to make sure that he was alright and to let him see that she was alright as well. She knew that he had to be worried sick right now.

With a sigh, he nodded toward Steve again. He seemed to lean a little closer to Aly and he dropped his voice a bit to almost a whisper so only she would hear what he had to say. "You shouldn't go over there. You don't want to blow his cover. Do you?" he asked, adopting a stance similar to Aly's for the moment.

Aly's eyes widened when he said that and she looked at Steve again before looking at the man in front of her. If this guy knew about her and Steve, who else knew? She was a little worried that anyone had any idea that she was with Steve actually. "Wh-who are you? How do you even know that I know?" she asked, more than a little confused right now.

"I'm a … friend of Captain Rogers," he said, seeming to choose his words carefully at the moment. "Agent Barton."

"Well, Agent Barton, thank you."

Clint cocked his head to the side a little. "Why are you thanking me?" he asked. It seemed that it was his turn to be confused.

Aly laughed softly and held out her hand to him with a soft smile. "You and Captain America helped save me and all of those other people," she said with a quick nod. She was going to show him that she could play along and pretend that she didn't know Steve, that he was just another stranger to her. It was what Agent Baron seemed to want her to do after all and Aly was going to show him that she could do it. "So thank you, Agent Barton. Can you tell the Captain that I appreciate what he did to help as well?"

Clint gave Aly a half smile, nodding. He understood now what she was trying to say and he was glad that she understood why he asked her not to go over to Steve right now. The last thing that any of them needed would be for someone to figure out that Captain America and Steve Rogers were one and the same. "I will do that, miss," he said as he took Aly's hand and firmly shook it, the corners of his lips upturning a little when he felt her firmly shake his hand as well. "Do me a favor though." When Aly gave him a confused look, he chuckled a little. He turned to start to leave, calling out to her over his shoulder. "Try to stay out of trouble from now on. Will you?"

Aly laughed and shook her head a little. "I'll try but you do know this wasn't my fault, right?" she said with a little smile. When she heard Clint laugh, she turned around and started to head toward some of the teachers from her school. She was ready to get the hell out of there right now. She laughed when the first question she was asked was about the man that she'd just been speaking to but Aly explained as best as she could. She felt fidgety right now, ready to keep moving. The last thing that she wanted was to be near this building right now or around all of these people. It was hard not to scan the crowd now, looking for faces that seemed out of place. Shaking it off, Aly quickly excused herself.

She was immediately stopped by a man in a navy blue suit. She saw the notebook in his hand and nodded when he flashed his badge although Aly didn't catch the man's name. He asked her a few questions and she told him what she knew. There wasn't much to explain really and the terrorists were all dead or captured thanks to Captain America and the team that he'd been working with, something that Aly was all too happy to point out. She had to try not to laugh at the way the man gave her a dirty look at that comment.

With a curt dismissal, the man waved her off and Aly happily walked away, ready to get the hell out of there. She felt dirty and sticky and all that she wanted right now was to take a long shower or maybe a bath. She thought that food would be good too but getting clean was her second priority. Her first priority was to get home. After walking several blocks, she flagged down a taxi and got in, telling the driver where she wanted to go.

"Are you okay there, miss?" the driver asked, glancing in his rearview mirror at her.

When Aly caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she sighed. Wiping her cheeks, she realized that she had started to cry although she wasn't sure when that had happened. Feeling a lump in her throat that she couldn't quite swallow away, she just nodded in reply, glancing out the window as buildings passed her by. Now that she was driving away from the craziness of the day, she seemed to let it all out. Burying her face in her hands, her body shook with the silent sobs that came out of her. It wasn't until the taxi came to a complete stop and the driver let her know that she was at her destination that Aly even looked up. With a quiet nod, she pulled out the money, handing it to the man before sliding across the seat to climb out. Looking up at her apartment building, she let out a sigh. She wiped her cheeks roughly and then hurried up the stairs. Home suddenly seemed like the only place in the world that she wanted to be.


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's Note:** As usual, I have to thank all of you for the amazing reaction that you've had to this story. When I started out with this, I really didn't think that anyone would pay attention to this story. In fact, I never would've imagined that so many people would be paying this much attention to this little story. You all amaze me every single time! So thank you, yet again, for your 68 incredible favorites, for the 122 astounding follows and the amazing 94 reviews that this story has received. I know it took some time to get this update up but I've been trying to think of a good way to end this story. I think I know what I'm going to do and it's going to be one more chapter and an epilogue, plus a surprise for all of you, and then this will be all wrapped up. Thank you for sticking by me through this and keep an eye out because I just might have some ideas for a sequel!

* * *

When Aly got home, she felt like she was blindly stumbling through the apartment on her way to the bathroom. She didn't think about what she was doing as she started to strip down on her way there, leaving a trail of clothes from the door to the bathroom. After closing the apartment door behind herself, she had started with her shoes and ended with her panties right by the bathtub. She turned on the water, taking a moment to check the temperature before she looked around in the cabinet under the sink to pull out a bottle of bubble bath. Aly hadn't used it in awhile but she did have some under the sink for those times when soaking in some warm water was a better alternative to a long, hot shower. This felt like one of those times.

She uncapped the bottle and poured some of the bubble bath under the running water. Her eyes closed for a moment as the scent of vanilla and lavender washed over her. With a soft sigh, she felt the corners of her mouth upturn a little in a small smile as she opened her eyes. She put away the bubble bath and then watched as the tub started to fill with water and bubbles. After turning off the water, Aly climbed in and slowly lowered herself into the warm water.

She sighed again, feeling her whole body start to relax. She could feel her muscles loosening up and the tension starting to leave her body with each deep breath that she took. Aly was trying to let herself get lost in the feeling of the warm water and the relaxing scent of the bubbles. After a long moment, she slipped under the water for a moment before sliding her head back up above the water level and taking a deep breath. It was just enough to wash off what grime and sweat and tears were left behind from the day.

Aly grabbed her pink and black bath poof, something that Steve had laughed at the first time he'd see it, and used it to scrub a little at her skin. She was trying to wash away the day if she could. Once she felt like she was sufficiently clean, she leaned her head back against the back of the tub and let the scent of the bubble bath and the warm water soak into her for awhile. She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, her whole body relaxing and her mind starting to drift off on its own.

Without any prompting from her, Aly could see Steve in that Captain America suit again and she bit her bottom lip softly at the memory. It had been exciting, seeing him there to rescue her and the others. He was damn good at it too and thinking about it now made her feel proud that she could call Steve her boyfriend. Aly felt a little smile creep onto her face and she softly laughed as she let the moment that he offered his hand to her to help her up play over and over in her mind.

Aly wasn't sure how much time had passed but when she slowly opened her eyes, she jumped and let out a little shriek when she noticed someone was in the bathroom with her. She had her hand on her chest and rubbed a little at her breast bone as if that would help steady her now slightly erratic heartbeat. Sitting on the counter with a little grin on his face was Steve. He seemed like he was trying to bite back a laugh as he watched her. He looked a little dirty and tired but he was looking her over with a grin on his face nonetheless. Aly blushed as she shifted to sit up in the tub, resting her arms on the side of the tub and resting her chin on her arm as she looked up at him with a smile on her own face now.

"How long have you been in here?" she asked, her voice soft.

Steve chuckled now and softly shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really sure but you looked so damn peaceful, I didn't want to bother you," he said with a bright smile on his face. He slipped off the counter and nodded toward the door. "It's probably early, I know, but I grabbed some burgers and fries on the way home. Whenever you're ready, come on out and join me. I bet you're hungry."

Aly laughed and nodded. The thing was that she hadn't thought about food since she got home, not really, but now that Steve had mentioned it, she was hungry. She was going to tell him that he should probably grab a shower but he was already out of the door, humming a little tune. Shaking her head, Aly unplugged the tub and climbed out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself. She wrapped a second, smaller towel around her head for her hair before she headed for the bedroom. She peeked in at Steve, who was laying across the couch, looking a little cramped on it. He looked over at her and flashed her a quick, tired smile. Aly laughed before telling him that she'd just be a minute.

After drying off, she dug around in one of the dresser drawers before pulling out a well-worn New York Yankees t-shirt and a pair of blue cotton shorts. Grabbing clean underwear, she quickly got dressed and ran a brush through her hair until she felt like she looked decent again. At least she felt human again anyway. Aly walked back out of the bedroom and saw Steve sit up as she walked into the living room. He had the TV remote in his hand, turning on the TV and flipping right to Turner Classic Movies with a little smile on his face.

Aly looked at the TV and saw that they were about to catch the tail end of _Strangers on a Train_. She looked over at Steve with a little smile before sitting down and slipping under his arm with a happy sigh. "What's on next?" Aly asked, looking up at him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Steve, who knew how to work the remote very well at this point, checked and shrugged when he saw the title. It wasn't one that he recognized so he was going to defer to her on whether or not it would be worth watching. "It looks like … _The House on Haunted Hill_," he said, reading the title off the screen before looking at Aly with his head tilted to the side a little and a curious look on his face.

She softly laughed and nodded as she looked from the TV to Steve again. She knew the title although when she spoke, she hesitated a little. "It's the original version. It's not … terrible. We can watch it … if you want. It's a horror movie," she said with a shrug. Aly wasn't big on horror movies but sometimes older horror movies were fun to watch. If it interested him, she knew she'd sit through the movie with Steve.

He noticed the way that Aly hesitated a bit and he smiled. Steve thought it could be fun to watch a horror movie with Aly. If she was hesitating to talk about it, that meant she didn't particularly like horror movies although it also meant there was a chance that she'd snuggle up at his side through most of the movie. He couldn't pass up that opportunity. He passed her a bag that had her burger and fries in it and picked up the other bag, setting it on his lap. She laughed and shook her head a little when she realized that he hadn't changed the channel and opened her bag. Steve looked over and frowned when he saw her look into the bag and wrinkle her nose before setting it onto the coffee table in front of them. He put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head softly, concern written all over his face.

"What's wrong?" he softly asked, his head tilted to the side a bit as Aly looked up at him. He saw her sigh so he ignored his food and brushed his hand against her cheek, lifting her chin a bit to get her to look him in the eyes. "Alyssa will you talk to me? Please? You're worrying me here."

Aly gave Steve a weak smile and shrugged. "Just … still shaken up. I'll eat eventually. My stomach just isn't quite settled yet, I guess. Don't let me stop you from eating though," she said, nodding to his bag. She didn't want him to keep from eating because she wasn't eating right now. "You should eat, Steve."

Steve grabbed her bag and placed it on her lap again. "You have to eat something. I don't care if it's just a few fries. I'm not eating anything until I see you eat something," he said, nodding his head firmly. He wasn't going to let her get away with not eating. Maybe she was shaken up by what happened today, and that was understandable, but that didn't mean that Steve was going to let Aly get away with not eating something. He chuckled a little when she wrinkled her nose again before opening her bag and reaching in to grab a couple of fries. He waited until he saw her chew and swallow what she'd taken before he turned his attention to his food. Steve did sneak sideways glances at Aly though from time to time to make sure that she ate.

It wasn't until she looked into the bag that Aly realized that she'd eaten everything that Steve had gotten for her. She slipped away from him and wandered into the kitchen, grabbing two bottles of sweet tea before coming back into the living room. She glanced at the TV and shivered a little at the scene from the movie before hurrying back to Steve now. She handed him the tea and laughed softly when he drank half of the bottle before setting it aside. Aly settled in next to Steve and sighed softly before taking a long drink and then setting aside her own bottle of tea.

"I was surprised that you came for me," Aly said, her voice barely a whisper. She looked up at him with wide eyes. Just thinking about Steve showing up as Captain America still had that effect on her. Aly wasn't sure that she'd be able to talk about this but she wanted him to know what she was feeling right now and what she'd felt when she saw him show up at the United Nations building. "You came. You … you saved us, Steve."

Steve felt the heat in his face, felt it creeping up the back of his neck. He played with her hair a little, smiling softly at Aly. "I came because you were in there, Alyssa. I promised that I'd keep you safe, didn't I?" he said with a little smile. When Aly nodded, he chuckled and softly kissed her. Seeing a smile creep up on her lips made him smile a little brighter. "I rescued you. I had to make sure that you were safe. I had to make sure that you came home to me again."

"I was so scared. Even when you were there," she said, shaking her head a little bit. Aly sighed softly before taking a deep breath. She didn't know how to explain how she had felt when she saw Steve. Even the brief moments of seeing him fighting had been exciting but they'd made her nervous. "I … I worried about you. Probably more than I should have. I wanted to say something to you. I don't … I …" She closed her eyes, looking away from Steve.

Steve actually bit his bottom lip for a moment to keep it from quivering. If he didn't know any better, he would've swore that Aly was trying to break up with him. He took a deep breath and then lifted her chin to get her to look him in the eye. He did his best to hide the fact that he was scared as hell right now. "What? Aly, talk to me. Please," he said, although his voice came out as almost a whisper. "Alyssa, please tell me what's going on in your head right now. I can't take this."

When Aly looked up at Steve, her eyes widened a little and she shook her head. "No. Oh, Steve, no," she said, shifting a little. She cupped his cheek in her hand, lightly brushing her fingers against his cheekbone. "That's not … I wasn't saying …" She sighed and then leaned in and softly pressed her lips against his. When Aly pulled back, she let her nose lightly brush against his before pulling back enough to speak to him again. "I wasn't saying that I don't want you if that's what you're thinking. Steven Rogers, I love you. Okay? Don't ever second guess that."

Steve felt that heat again although he nodded and never took his eyes off of Aly. He took her hand from his face and laced his fingers with hers, kissing the top of her hand softly. "Then what are you trying to say?" he asked, actually sounding a little amused right now. He knew that he was never going to understand how Aly's mind worked but that was going to be the fun of this relationship. Steve might not ever know how her mind worked but he knew that they shared something special and that was saying something. "I really don't understand what's going on in that head of yours."

Aly shrugged a little. It was her turn to blush although as she sat back a little. "You're never going to know what's going on in my head, Steve. Don't even try," she said with a laugh, seeing Steve smile and shake his head in an amused way when she said that. "What I was trying to say was that I didn't know what to do when I saw you. I was so worried about you and so scared that something would happen to you. I'm probably going to worry myself sick one day. It's going to be difficult but I'm going to do my best to deal with it. You're worth it."

Steve looked away when said that he was worth it, feeling that heat in his face and neck. He reached for his tea and took a long drink, finishing it off. He heard Aly laugh and felt her snuggle in next to him again. He sighed happily although he was beginning to truly understand what Howard Stark had meant about trying to understand a woman's mind. Steve knew he was never going to understand what went on in Aly's head but if she wanted him there, he knew that he was going to be a part of her life. He wasn't going to go anywhere until she kicked him out of her life. The thing was that now that he had a taste of what it was like to think that she was leaving him, Steve wasn't sure he'd be able to handle her leaving him.

He shook off those thoughts, his attention shifting to the movie for a moment. He didn't think it was a bad movie. In fact Steve didn't even think it was that scary. He'd seen more horrifying things in his time after all. He realized that Aly was watching the movie again when he heard her whimper and felt her hide her face in his chest. He chuckled a little at that, holding her closer and kissing the top of her head. Maybe it wasn't quite the same but he did feel like he was keeping her safe this way and he liked that feeling. When Steve stole a peek at Aly, he saw her glance up at him with a little smile before her attention shifted back to the movie. He kissed the top of her head and let his own attention shift to the movie again.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N:** Last chapter although there's an epilogue yet to come. Plus something special for all of you. And I'm starting the sequel as you read this. I don't know when that will start going up but hopefully it won't be too terribly long before you get some more Aly and Steve! Thank you all once again for the 97 reviews, the 128 follows, the 69 favorites and the 29934 views. How this happened will be something that I will never understand but I'm grateful for it. You all amaze me and I hope that I did a good job and that I made Aly and Steve and their relationship real enough for all of you. Thank you so much for reading this! You each made it worth writing the story.

* * *

Aly looked over to see Steve lying on his side, sound asleep. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the clock beside the bed. She blinked a few times before she actually saw the time. It was two in the morning and as she started to yawn, Aly put her hand over her mouth. She quickly climbed out of bed, running to the bathroom to get sick. After taking a deep breath, she flushed the toilet and stood up, walking over to the sink. She rinsed her mouth out with water and then quickly brushed her teeth. Looking at her reflection, she ran her fingers through her hair to get rid of any tangles and swallowed hard. The problem was that she could feel that she wasn't done getting sick yet.

It wasn't long before she was kneeling in front of the toilet again, pulling her hair out of her face and tucking it into the tank top that she had worn to bed. She got up again, flushing the toilet again before moving back to the sink. Aly held onto the counter for a moment, taking a couple of deep, calming breaths. After brushing her teeth a second time, she shuffled back to the bedroom. When she saw Steve sitting up in bed, she gave him a weak smile and crawled back into bed. She pulled the covers up to her chin and balled up into the fetal position until Steve slid back down and wrapped an arm around her to pull her close. Then Aly shifted and laid her head on his chest, laying half of her body on his. Curling around him like this seemed to make her feel better although she still felt a little dizzy.

Steve brushed some hair from her face and lifted her chin a little as he looked down at her. Not only had he heard her while she was in the bathroom but he could smell the minty toothpaste on her breath now that she was close to him. "Are you alright, Aly?" he asked. His eyebrows were furrowed and there was worry written all over his features as he watched her. He brushed her hair from her forehead and kissed the top of her head softly. "Sounded like you were getting sick. Are you feeling okay?"

Aly nodded a little as she hugged Steve tight. She wasn't sure that anything was wrong and she didn't want to worry Steve about nothing. She figured that it was something as simple as her getting the flu or some kind of stomach bug. It didn't seem like anything serious. "Probably getting the flu. All that time around kids and it was bound to happen," she said with a little shrug. "I'll be fine."

"You're not going in tomorrow if you're still feeling like this in the morning," Steve firmly said, shaking his head as if he was going to have the final say about this. To be honest, he wasn't planning on giving her a choice in the matter. If she was sick, he wanted her to stay home so he could help make her feel better. "No arguments either. You're going to need your rest."

Aly shook her head with a resigned sigh. "I'll be fine. I just need to get a little more sleep. I bet I'll be okay in the morning," she said, mustering up a soft smile as she looked up at Steve. The last thing that she wanted was to be babied. If she was sick, she could suck it up and go to school. It wouldn't be that bad. In fact, Aly knew that she'd be able to make it through the day. "Maybe it was something I ate. I might not even have the flu."

Steve let out a little sigh and nodded, watching as Aly closed her eyes. He could tell that she was going to argue with him about this in a few hours when she got up to get ready for work. His fingers softly continued to play with her hair. He didn't think that it was okay that she was getting out of bed in the middle of the night to throw up but he wasn't going to argue with Aly right now. If she insisted on going to work, he'd let her but he wanted to be the one to drop her off. Steve didn't want her driving to the school if she was sick. This way he could pick her up if she got too sick and needed to come home from work. It wasn't like he had any plans for the day after all so he'd be able to swing by to get her if she needed to come home. Once he was sure Aly was asleep, Steve closed his eyes as well and let himself fall back to sleep with her in his arms.

* * *

Aly had only grabbed a glass of orange juice before leaving the house in the morning. She refused to let Steve bother with driving her to work. They hadn't argued about it exactly but she made it clear that she didn't want to be babied by Steve. In fact she pointed out that she was feeling much better and that he shouldn't worry so much about her. She explained that it was probably something she ate along with the stress of the day that had led her to get sick in the middle of the night. It sounded at least a little bit reasonable when she said it and Steve hadn't wanted to argue with her so he let her go. The thing was that Aly could tell that he wasn't buying it. He seemed to believe that there was something more going on than she was telling him. To be honest though she didn't even know what was going on.

She made it through the day without getting sick although she'd grabbed lunch from a deli a couple of blocks from school instead of eating the food that she'd packed the night before. There was something about the smell of the bologna and American cheese sandwich that hadn't sat well with her. Since she didn't want to get sick, Aly decided to stop somewhere during her lunch hour to grab something. She came back with a turkey and Swiss sandwich and some salt and vinegar potato chips as well as an apple juice and she finished it rather quickly. Normally Aly didn't eat that fast but she'd felt so hungry. She even bought a chocolate chip muffin while out and she ate that after filling the bottle that her apple juice had been in with water.

Danielle had stopped in to check on her although Aly told her that everything was fine. She didn't know why everyone seemed to be under the impression that she wasn't feeling well today. They talked a little about the other day although she was starting to feel all talked out about being held hostage by some terrorists. It was getting on her nerves a little actually. Her class had wanted to talk about it as well, at least those that had shown up to class. She had noticed that at least half of the kids had stayed home. Aly didn't blame their parents though. It wasn't like she hadn't wanted to stay home herself. She knew that she couldn't though. She had to be strong and show up for class.

When she was getting ready to leave, the teacher for her class, Mrs. Porter, stopped Aly before she left the building. Without saying anything, she took half of the work that Aly was about to take home and gave her a little smile. She handed her a set of lesson plans for next week which Aly eyed for a moment before thanking the woman. Charlotte Porter laughed softly and nodded, telling Aly not to worry about it and that she knew what it was like to be overwhelmed by work. Aly didn't know what to say although she hugged the teacher before heading for her car.

She walked quickly through the parking lot to get to her car, unlocking her car doors and throwing her messenger bag onto the passenger seat before getting into the car. She put the keys into the ignition and sighed softly. As she thought about last night, Aly bit her lip softly and started her car. She didn't think twice as she started to drive toward the nearest drug store. She took a deep breath as she parked the car and walked inside. She could feel her stomach doing somersaults as she headed toward the aisle with the pregnancy tests. Grabbing one off of the shelf without looking at it for very long, she headed for the register to pay. Before paying, she grabbed a bottle of water out of the cooler as well.

Heading to her car, she took a deep breath. She sat in the parking lot for a long moment as she finished off the bottle of water. Instead of heading home, Aly drove to the nearest gas station. She filled up her car and got another bottle of water. Finishing that second bottle of water, she headed for the bathroom with the pregnancy test discreetly tucked into her messenger bag. Reading the directions, she took the test and set it onto the lid of the garbage can in the stall. Aly was bouncing her leg nervously as she waited for the 15 minutes to pass that it was going to take before she'd have her results.

Leaning her head against the wall with a soft sigh, she pulled out her cell phone, scrolling through the contact list. She could call the apartment right now and tell Steve that they needed to talk since she knew that he would want to know if Aly was pregnant. She looked at the number for a long moment and then continued scrolling through the list. Aly stopped again at her mother's phone number, biting her lip. She turned off her phone and glanced at her watch and then looked at the test. If she was pregnant, there would be a little blue plus sign and if she wasn't, there would be a little negative sign.

Taking a deep breath, Aly looked at the test and let out a sigh. It was a plus sign. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes at the sight. While she didn't think that Steve would be mad at her about this, Aly was still nervous as hell to tell him. She wasn't sure that she'd be able to find the words to tell him without bursting into tears. Still Aly knew that he was going to need to know because it wasn't like she wouldn't start showing at some point.

She threw out the test and hurried out of the stall, brushing the few tears that had fallen. She washed her hands and then splashed some water on her face to wash away the trail of tears. When she looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes almost immediately moved down to her stomach. Aly turned to the side and pressed her shirt down a little more. Maybe she wasn't showing yet but the idea that there was a life growing inside her was more than a little overwhelming.

Aly let out a deep sigh and fixed the messenger bag on her shoulder as she walked out of the bathroom. "Oh god," she murmured as she headed into the store. She slowly walked up and down the aisles in the convenience store, grabbing an iced honey bun, a bottle of water and a small bag of pretzel sticks. Aly paid for the items and then headed for her car, ready to go home. As she drove, she ate the honey bun and took sips from the bottle of water. Pulling into her parking space at the building and headed up to the apartment. She was relieved when she saw that Steve wasn't home.

Wandering into the kitchen, Aly saw a note on the kitchen table. Steve had gone to the gym to work out for a bit and he'd be home soon with pizza for dinner so she wouldn't have to worry about cooking. With a soft smile on her face, Aly turned to pull the container of Nutella out of the cabinet. She sat down on the couch with the bag of pretzel sticks and the Nutella. As she started to go through the homework she needed to grade, she started to dip each stick into the Nutella, slowly eating as she tried not to think about how she was going to tell Steve that they were going to have a baby.


	33. Epilogue

**Author's Note: **I just wanted to take a moment to yet again tell you guys that I can't believe the acknowledgement and attention that this story received. At this point in time this story got 101 reviews, 131 followers, 76 favorites and 31481 views. It has always been both humbling and overwhelming but you all have made me feel like this was worth writing and I can't wait to see the reactions to this ending as well as the reactions that will come with the sequel. Keep an eye out for it because I'm working on it now and it should be up before this new week is over. Read and enjoy the final chapter. Thank you all for sticking with me. Hugs to you all!

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

Steve couldn't remember the last time that he'd felt so damn nervous about anything in his entire life. Actually, if he really thought about it, he could probably name the last moment he felt this nervous. It was probably just before he was given the serum that turned him into Captain America. Or maybe it was the first time that he had taken Aly out on a real date. Or maybe the first time that they'd made love. Then again, he realized that he couldn't pin point the last time that he'd felt this nervous because he knew that he'd felt pretty damn nervous around Aly from the first moment that he laid eyes on her.

Steve thought he was at least partially over the butterflies he felt whenever he saw Aly but tonight was definitely different and just thinking about what was going to happen had him feeling like he was about to burst. Tonight was going to be special and he knew that was the reason that his stomach was doing somersaults. While he hadn't wanted to do it, he called in a favor from Tony Stark to make this night even more special than it would've otherwise been. If he was ever going to ask for a favor, this was one of those times. Steve knew that Tony would probably make him pay in some crazy way in the future but it would be worth it if it all worked out the way that he had hoped.

Steve, who left early in the morning before Aly had gotten up to get ready for work, had called Aly first thing in the morning and told her to put on something nice later and that he'd pick her up at 9 o'clock that night. He could picture her rolling her eyes when he said it, especially when he heard her softly sigh. He also told her to come hungry which had made her laugh, something that Steve liked hearing. She promised that she'd be ready and that she'd be hungry although she did ask why he was going to pick her up so late. He didn't know how to answer that question so he told her that she'd find out when they got where they'd be going. That seemed to be enough to make Aly happy.

Steve spent most of the rest of the day at the gym, working out his nerves by punching a few punching bags and lifting a few weights. He felt like he needed this though because he was a tightly wound bundle of nerves and he felt like he might snap in two if he didn't find a way to shake what he was feeling at that moment. It was a good way to pass some time as well although he had to watch himself because there were other people around that could have seen him. Steve couldn't hit things as hard as he wanted and he couldn't lift as much weight as he wanted but it was good enough to work out some of the jitters at least. When he was asked to spar with one of the guys at the gym, he passed although Steve did get Nate in the ring with him for a bit later on in the day. That had been fun and Steve could see why Aly liked to box with Nate. Nate didn't pull punches when he stepped into the ring with Steve. He went hard and while Steve had to lay off a little, it was fun to get into the ring and spar with someone who didn't hold back.

Instead of heading to the apartment when he was done for the day, Tony had offered a place for Steve to stay for the night. He hadn't wanted to accept but the best way to keep everything a surprise was to agree to this. At least this way Aly wouldn't be able to see anything accidently and he could maybe even bring Aly back here after the night was done. It wasn't the same as getting them a hotel room for the night but Steve thought that she might like it. He grabbed something to eat when he got to the apartment though, chuckling to himself when he realized that the place that Tony had offered him was basically a fully furnished and fully stocked apartment although Steve didn't want to know what Tony did with an extra place like this or what he used to do with it either. With his metabolism, Steve tried to eat a bit every few hours if he could because otherwise he spent a good portion of the day hungry.

While sitting on the couch, he managed to drift off to sleep for at least a couple of hours without meaning to and when he woke up, Steve had taken a long, hot shower. He needed it to give himself a chance to wake up and a chance to not think about what he was about to do and the shower did the trick for the most part. He had laid out a nice suit and tie and once he was cleaned up and had shaved, Steve slowly got himself dressed. He fixed his tie a second and then a third time and raked his fingers through his slightly damp hair as he looked in the bathroom mirror, nervously chewing on his bottom lip for a moment. He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a small black box. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he opened it to take a look at the ring inside.

It was a rather simple ring in white gold since he knew that Aly didn't like yellow gold. The diamond was 1.5 karats and emerald cut without any other embellishments. It reminded him of rings that he knew had been popular back in the 1940s. That hadn't been the reason that he'd picked it however although he did like that about the style of the ring. He had picked it because it was simple and he knew that Aly would appreciate the beauty of its simplicity. He closed the ring box, letting out the breath that he'd been holding and slipped the ring box back into his pants pocket, patting it as if to check to make sure that it was still there.

He headed out to the street to flag down a taxi. It was almost 9 o'clock and by the time he arrived at the apartment, he was sure she'd be ready. Steve watched as buildings passed on the way from Stark Tower to the apartment that he shared with Aly. He asked the driver to wait while he ran up. Steve had just made it up the front stairs when he spotted Aly through the window in the door and he felt his breath catch for a moment at the sight of her. She was headed to the front door with a smile on her face, walking very carefully in what looked to him to be a dangerous pair of stiletto heels. He'd seen her in shoes like that before but this pair looked much taller than the pair she had worn to Tony's charity ball.

Aly gave Steve a wave before nervously smoothing her hands down her dress. It was strapless and bright pink and it looked to be made of silk. It was an impressive and seductive piece of clothing in his opinion. It was also more expensive than anything that Steve thought that Aly had in her closet, which made him wonder where she'd gotten it. His hand was on the handle of the door as she opened it and he held the door open for her with a smile. Aly did a little turn for him once she walked outside, giggling as she did it. She hooked her arm with his as they walked down the stairs and headed for the taxi.

"Where did you get this …" He didn't know how to finish that statement so Steve gestured to everything that Aly was wearing right now instead. He knew that he was blushing bright red right now as he looked her over, his eyes moving slowly over every inch of her in that sexy, slinky dress. She was always beautiful but right now he didn't know how to describe how she looked. She was stunning, beyond words.

Aly blushed and tucked some of her hair behind her ear, looking down at the small clutch purse she had in her hands shyly. "I came home after work, noticing that you were nowhere to be found by the way, and there was this box waiting. Inside the apartment," she said with a little shake of her head, softly laughing. Aly looked up at Steve with a soft smile. "There was a card in it that said it was from Tony Stark and that he wanted to wish me luck. Whatever that was supposed to mean."

Steve rolled his eyes at the mere mention of Tony's name, laughing a little. This was even more than Steve had expected from Tony and he knew now more than ever that he was going to owe Tony so big for tonight. It really wasn't going to be pretty when Tony called in the favor after all. Steve swallowed down that worry, trying to focus on the moment instead because it was a pretty amazing moment. "You'll see. Do you trust me?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow as he looked at her. When Aly nodded, Steve pulled out a little sleep mask and held it out for her. "The driver knows where we're going and I want it to be a surprise so will you put this on?"

Aly took the sleep mask from Steve and slipped it on without saying anything. She smiled a little, giggling when Steve leaned in to steal a kiss once the mask was covering her eyes. She shook her head and leaned against him, feeling his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder and quietly rode to wherever it was that Steve was taking her. What she didn't see was him patting the pocket of his pants again to check for the ring box or the deep breath that he'd taken when he realized it was still there.

Aly sat up when she felt the taxi come to a complete halt. She felt Steve shift to get out first and she blindly reached for his hand which she instinctively knew would be outstretched for her. Aly laughed as she carefully got out of the taxi, hearing Steve laugh and give her directions to make sure that she didn't trip and fall as she got out of the taxi or as they walked into a restaurant. She knew it was a restaurant because she could smell something incredible as soon as Steve opened the door.

Steve led them inside the restaurant, stopping at a table a bit of the way in. He reached for the sleep mask, carefully pulling it off of her. He didn't want to mess up her hair or her makeup although he knew that she would still look fabulous even if he did mess it up. The look on Aly's face when she opened her eyes was priceless though. He saw her looking around, brushing some hair from her face. She started to laugh when she saw where they were, throwing her arms around Steve. He chuckled and hugged her tightly, lifting her feet off the ground for a moment. He was smiling as someone walked over to them, setting a pizza on the table for them with a quiet nod.

Aly looked at the table with a smile. The entire restaurant was dimly lit with a few candles here and there. There was some jazz playing in the background and she felt her smile grow a bit. She recognized it as Count Basie almost immediately, one of her favorites. She also recognized the restaurant they were in. It was Grimaldi's and the pizza on the table was the same kind of pizza they had gotten on their first 'official' date. The fact that Steve remembered these kinds of details still amazed the hell out of Aly. She smiled at him and nodded to the pizza with a laugh.

"This is what I dressed up like this for?" she asked with a smirk, gesturing to herself a bit. Aly laughed when Steve blushed and then pulled out her chair for her. She sat down and let him slide her chair toward the table before he poured them each a glass of red wine and then sat down across from her.

He cleared his throat nervously before saying anything. He didn't want to give anything away after all. "This is just part of the surprise," Steve said with a little nod. "The rest will come later. It'll be worth it. I promise."

After they finished eating, someone came by and cleared the table for them. They talked a little about everything throughout the meal and after as well. Aly told Steve about her day, which had been filled with a lot of hyper but happy children, and he told her about his day. His day was much less interesting but it was nice to have someone to talk to about things at the end of the day. She asked how Steve got Grimaldi's to stay open for them and he admitted to asking Tony Stark for a favor.

"That explains the dress and shoes then," Aly said with a laugh after Steve told her. It made sense to her now that Tony was trying to help in every way that he possibly could. "Clearly Tony thought he was going to do you another favor by sending me this to wear tonight."

Steve was glad for the dim lighting because he was sure that he was blushing bright red. The innuendo in her statement wasn't lost on him after all. He knew that Aly looked stunning in the dress and that it left very little to the imagination as well. Tony certainly knew what he was doing when he picked out that dress for Aly. Steve gave a little shrug and chuckled when Aly laughed at him. He got ready to pour them each another glass of wine but when Aly shook her head, he put the bottle down. They'd each had two glasses but it wasn't like it would have affected him to have another glass. He did know that two was usually Aly's limit however. She liked to say that she was a lightweight when it came to alcohol after all.

"I think Tony wanted to make sure tonight was extra special," Steve finally said with a shrug. It was true and it was the only answer that he could give without totally embarrassing himself. "This seemed like the perfect place for something special to happen though. Do you remember what happened here?"

Aly laughed, nodding a bit. "Yes, we ended up going here for our first real date after I tried to get us to go to Il Buco instead," she said, smiling. She remembered that night quite fondly actually, for a couple of reasons, even though it hadn't gone the way that she had planned it to go. "I think it was the first time I realized how I really felt about you."

"Really?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrows at her. That was something she'd never said to him before and he was curious to find out what she had discovered on that first date. "What did you realize that night?"

Aly reached for Steve's hand from across the table. She wrapped her hand around his as best as she could with a bright smile on her face. "It's the first time that I realized that I was in love with you. Completely and irrevocably in love with you. I love you, Steven Rogers," she said as she started to lean across the table. Steve met her half way and kissed her softly which made Aly giggle.

He let go of her hand and slowly stood up. He walked over to Aly's side and slowly got down on one knee. When he saw Aly's eyes widen, Steve smiled although he felt that heat in his face and neck and ears. This was a moment he had never imagined getting to experience. Even after he told Aly the truth about who he was and how old he should have been, Steve never would've imagined that he'd be here with Aly tonight, getting ready to propose to her. It was just that he couldn't imagine his life without her now. She had been helping him so much with finding his way in the modern world but that wasn't the only reason he wanted her around for the rest of their lives.

Steve knew that he loved Aly more than he could put into words. She was a very special young woman. She was strong and self-reliant but she was also gentle and sweet. She was stubborn at times and could be such a force of nature but she was also giving and kind. Aly offered Steve a balance in his life that he wouldn't have had otherwise. When he looked at her, he saw a future that he never thought could exist for him. He wanted that future with her.

Steve took a deep breath, knowing that his hands were shaking right now. He could see when he looked at Aly that she was shocked. He could see the tears already forming in her eyes and he smiled, tearing up a little himself. She already had her hands up to her mouth and she was almost bouncing in her chair as she watched him. Steve looked at the ring again and took another deep breath before opening his mouth to say anything.

He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, softly kissing the top of Aly's hand. He didn't let go though after that, softly holding her hand. "Aly, from the moment I first saw you I knew that there was something special about you," Steve said, trying to remember the speech that he'd scripted out. It was times like this where he was grateful for the photographic memory that he seemed to have. He was also glad that he'd written this down and memorized it because he would've really been tripping over his words otherwise. "It didn't take long for you to make me fall in love with you. You're not just the most beautiful young woman that I've ever seen but you're the strongest and the most amazing. You balance me out in so many ways and I need you more than I can say. You've taught me so much about the world around me and you've opened me up to things that I never would've experienced otherwise. I … I love you. I love you more … more than I can say. I just …"

Aly smiled softly and reached with her right hand to brush her fingers against his cheek. She didn't say anything though, just smiled at him and gave him a little nod. Steve took another deep breath when he saw that, mustering up the courage to finish what he was trying to say. He wasn't sure he would've gotten through it otherwise.

"I want to be with you for the rest of our lives, Aly. I can't imagine my life without you in it. So what I'm trying to say is will you … that is … w-will you m-marry me?"

Aly didn't say anything at first. She threw her arms around Steve's neck instead. She buried her face in his neck and murmured a 'yes' against his shoulder. Tears slowly started to slide down her cheeks and when she pulled back, Aly was smiling but crying as she nodded her head. She was biting her lip to keep her lip from trembling. Steve wiped her cheek with his thumb as he cupped her face with one hand.

When she opened her mouth, her voice cracked but she knew she had to say the words out loud. "Yes, Steven Rogers, I will marry you," Aly said, nodding. She looked down as he moved his hand from her face to slowly slide the ring on her finger. When she looked at him again, she could see that he was crying a little too. She leaned in and softly pressed her lips against his. When his hand slid into her hair, she let her lips part as she deepened the kiss. In that moment there was nothing but the two of them and this warmth and excitement that Aly couldn't even begin to explain. From the way that he kissed her back, she could tell that Steve could feel it too.

Slowly she pulled back from the kiss, a grin on her face. Aly brushed her fingers against Steve's cheek, giggling a little when she caught sight of the ring that was now on her finger. She looked at it for a moment and then looked at Steve. Nervously chewing her lip, Aly knew that she needed to tell Steve something right now. She didn't think that he'd be upset but she knew that he needed to know. She'd been trying to hide the news from him for too long. Now seemed like the perfect time to tell him.

"Steve, I … I need to tell you something," she softly said, looking down briefly. When she looked up and saw the look on Steve's face, Aly laughed. She stole a brief kiss and then brushed her fingers against his cheek again, tracing his jaw with her index finger. "How would you feel about having to look for a new place to live?"

Steve's eyebrows furrowed when she asked him that and he gave Aly a confused look. "What are you talking about, Aly? Why would we need a new place to live?" he asked, shaking his head a bit. He couldn't think of one good reason to give up the apartment that they had. It was perfect for the two of them after all. He stood up and held out his hand to her. "What's going on? What aren't you saying?"

Aly laughed as she put her hand in his, letting him help her to her feet. When she stood up, she let go of Steve's hand and placed it on her stomach. "We're going to need another bedroom in maybe 8 or 9 months. Give or take," she said with a soft smile. She bit her lip as she looked up at Steve, seeing his expression go from confusion to shock to happiness. When he grabbed her tight and lifted her off of her feet, spinning her around, Aly knew that he understood what she was trying to tell him.

"We're … you're …" Steve laughed and shook his head as he set Aly back down onto her feet. He took a step back and looked her over as if he was trying to see if there was something different about her but he couldn't see anything different. Sure, she'd been getting a little sick now and then and Steve had noticed that she ate a little more than normal. He even noticed her falling asleep a little earlier but he figured that it was stress from student teaching and nothing else. Now it was all making sense. "When did you find out?"

"A couple of weeks ago," she said with a little shrug. Aly took a couple of steps toward Steve and wrapped an arm around his waist as she turned them so they could leave. "I took a test and found out. I was just too nervous to tell you."

Steve chuckled and kissed the top of her head. Once they were out on the street, he hailed them a cab. "Looks like we have two reasons to celebrate tonight. Have you been to the doctor yet?" he asked, glancing down at her before walking over to open the door of the cab that stopped to pick them up. When Aly shook her head, Steve sighed. Once she slid into the back of the cab, he slid in next to her and put his arm around her. After telling the driver where to go, his attention was on Aly. "You have to go see the doctor. I'll go with you."

Aly laughed and nodded, although she was quite curious when Steve gave the driver an address that wasn't their apartment building. "Of course. I'll make an appointment soon so we can go together. I promise," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder. She hadn't been entirely sure how Steve was going to take the news so she was thrilled that he was so happy about this. She knew that she was happy too. "Are you ready to start looking for a two bedroom apartment?"

Steve chuckled and shrugged his shoulders lightly. "What about finding a place outside of the city? Somewhere that's a little quieter," he said with a nod. When he saw that smile on her face, he knew that she liked the idea. While he didn't mind the idea of staying in Brooklyn and finding a nice two or three bedroom place, Steve thought that a nice house in the suburbs might be a better place to raise their children. It wasn't like he thought they were only going to have one child after all. "We'll start looking soon. We can set up times to check out some houses. This is going to be amazing, Aly. Maybe not quite the way that I was hoping that this would happen but I can't complain that you're pregnant now."

Aly laughed, rolling her eyes. She smiled when the cab came to a stop and let Steve get out first. She put her hand in his as he helped her out and wrapped her arm around him as soon as they were walking toward the front steps of an unfamiliar building. "We're engaged now so I guess it's alright. Trust me. I know people who have two or three kids together and they've never gotten married. No one is going to think any less of us because of this," she said, putting her hand on her stomach when she said 'this'. She gave Steve a curious look and nodded toward the building though. "Where are we, Steve? I thought we were going home."

Steve scooped her up in his arms when they reached the stairs, carrying her up before carefully unlocking the security door. When Aly giggled as he held her with one arm and tried to unlock the door with his other hand, he couldn't help but laugh. He turned around and pushed the door open with his back before he carried her up to the apartment that Tony had borrowed to him. "This was sort of Stark's idea although I thought it might be nice to spend the night somewhere else tonight. I hope you don't mind," he said with a shrug as he reached the door to the apartment. Steve again carefully held her in one arm as he unlocked and opened the door. He kicked it closed behind them as Aly giggled and then carried her right to the bedroom. When he kicked the bedroom door closed behind them as well, she knew what was next and Aly couldn't help the little grin on her face. She saw the grin on Steve's face as well and laughed. Getting lost in Steve seemed like a very good idea right now after all.

"Oh I don't mind one bit," she said, shaking her head. Aly couldn't wipe the grin off of her face right now. "Just another thing for me to thank Tony for later, I guess. First I need to thank him for sending this dress and these shoes." She kicked off the shoes and then unzipped the dress, letting it fall to the floor. "Then I need to thank him for keeping Grimaldi's open for us because I couldn't imagine a more perfect place for you to propose." Her hands brushed Steve's chest before she started to slide his jacket off of him. Then Aly started to unbutton his shirt, laughing at the way Steve watched her because even now he could still get wide-eyed about the things that she did.

"Is that all?" Steve asked, his voice almost cracking for a moment with nervousness. He licked his lips and let his fingers brush lightly up her spine. "I was going to thank Tony for those things too actually."

Aly laughed as she slid the shirt off of Steve's shoulders before her fingers curled under the bottom hem of his shirt as she started to slide it up as well. "I'm going to have to thank him for letting us use this place too. I think we're going to have a lot of fun here," she said, nodding. Her body shivered a little as she felt Steve's fingers on her skin.

Steve just nodded in response before nudging Aly until she fell back onto the bed. He carefully climbed on top of her. Right now there was only one thing on his mind and it had nothing to do with Tony Stark or this apartment or the proposal or even the baby. All that he wanted was to get lost in Aly and he knew that was something that she wanted right now too.


	34. Thank you!

_A Note From The Desk Of The Writer_

I started out doing this when I first got a bunch of reviews but eventually there were too many of you for me to thank you all individually like I had wanted. Some of you got messages from me after a review but there were times when I couldn't even manage to give you guys that much attention or acknowledgement, no matter how much I wanted to do it. What I want to say here is thank you to each and every one of you who read and reviewed, favorited or followed my story. Actually thank you as well to the nameless people who read the story but didn't get a chance to favorite, review or follow it. You all have no idea how excited I was or how excited I would get when I would find notifications in my email to tell me that someone else had favorited or reviewed or followed my story. Sometimes my responses to that were downright embarrassing to be honest.

You all amaze me even now that this story has come to a close (although the tales of Steve and Aly may not be done yet so keep that in mind!). Your reviews, especially when you would toss in suggestions, actually kept me going. There were times when I wasn't sure I could continue but I'd get a review and suddenly inspiration would hit. Some of those suggestions got used in the story. Some did not. I appreciated them all regardless. You all have no idea how happy I am even now that you enjoyed my story enough to let me know, one way or another. Thank you. Each and every one of you.

As I realized how I could find out all of your pen names via the site, I decided that I wanted to individually list you here. I'm not discriminating and saying who was a reviewer and who was someone that followed the story. Any way that you look at it, you all drove me to continue to write and so I am grateful for each and every one of you. The list that follows names all of the amazing people who took the time to follow my story, favorite my story or review my story. So let me thank you the way that you deserve to be thanked, by recognizing you for your help and your encouragement.

**Stuffoflegends**

**The Red Dove**

**Doreandrix**

**Silentflier**

**GoddessofNature09**

** 86**

**Blown-transistor**

**Chalese**

**Namelalax**

**Carlypso**

**Caldoniawolf**

**Lakie**

"**guest" (times like 7, since some of you didn't leave names!)**

**666AnimeFan666**

**ShayChis**

**Agnes Robinson**

**Superfreak330**

**Thecatchisdeadliest**

**Dimiksgirl123**

**TS24**

**Melibells**

**Supesfan18**

**Chaospayne**

**Wishfulhamadryad**

**Beccatt**

**Powerofkisses**

**NeroLieto**

**Spiffymac0617**

**kurisutaruAi**

**naruskauforever**

**dammitjoanne**

**Alix1912**

**Alpha Lima One**

**Angel19872006**

**Angelle Darque**

**ANGELnDEVIL**

**Anifreakazoid**

**ArandoraStar**

**Aurora870**

**Autumn's Fire**

**Babiebyrd03**

**Blackrosewitch1996**

**Bloody-Lace**

**Butterfliesinspring**

**Captainrogers**

**Charissa-G**

**Charlotter1**

**Chevron-Ice**

**Crazyhyper09**

**Danceegirl92**

**DanielleBurkex3**

**Daughter of the Black**

**DOCTOR WHO-MERLIN-SHERLOCK**

**Doreandrix**

**Fredrickfox**

**Gwen luvs dramione**

**Hatedlane2000**

**HeraOfTheStars**

**HowTheStoryEnds**

**Invader Ivy**

**Jaejoong1**

**JaseShadowblade117**

**Josie fanfiction stories**

**Justsuzaku**

**Kaidere**

**Kassandra J**

**Kaylanoel16**

**KrisDawnRulez**

**Kuramalover2006**

**Kuroppoi Kitsune**

**Lachthryn18**

**LockNeSie**

**LoNachtigator**

**LUIGGA**

**Mally05**

**Mangamak**

**Miyuh**

**Mollzzzyy**

**MonsterPenguin**

**MUSEFAN2307**

**Mystewitch**

**Mishi-boo**

**GirlWhoLivedd**

**Narutauzu1213**

**Natka**

**Nicole Lace**

**Npirat**

**PetiteDiable**

**Poisedrose**

**PrettyBoyLover**

**Purrsain**

**Rachz09**

**Reedy-Girl**

**ReeveDawgs**

**Remysma**

**Rockobrocko**

**SabakuNoGaara426**

**Sakura-moka**

**Sakurane**

**SamanthanAnn0303**

**slEDgelre**

**Sophia Von Blackburn**

**SquishasaurusRex**

**StabMeWithASmile**

**Stlbaby**

**Stupid Fat Kid**

**SugarLandBabyGirl**

**Supernatural Believer**

**T.R. Blessing**

**The Captain's Dame**

**The Incredible Rori**

**The-Kiwi-Lover**

**TheEscalatorHasBecomeStairs**

**Timbertree**

**TMNT Redneck**

**Tottering Fool**

**Tsuki no Yasha**

**UnderTheFridayNightLights**

**Vengenz6661**

**Wantonmistressofthenight**

**Witchgirl590**

**Workreadplay82**

**Wraithjing**

**xAndieCullenx**

**XxTheMessengerxX**

**Yuppiethemerlinaddict**

**Anilmathiel**

**Beccatt**

**BloodBlackAlchemist**

**CharlotteDarkrose**

**Chiyoaizensama**

**DarkStorm00**

**Deezy23**

**GirlIncognito99**

**HeirxxOfxxMerlin**

**ImagineSweeter**

**Kali yugah**

**Koalax3**

**Leighta Greenleaf**

**LoneWolfPack**

**Mimaligrl2012**

**MormonJesus**

**Musicallyeclectic**

**Padmegirl Forever**

**Rainaris**

**Runningonmusic**

**ShannonRae37**

**SilentRain21**

**Skyler1510**

**Stuffoflegends**

**Twilight-moon09**

**WeAreFalling**

**TheKnifeMaster**

**AimiMinakoLee**

**Animeboyluv**

**Kakashiluluckyblackcat**

**John Matthew's Girl**

**MiniVillian**

**Keksy**

**Mello's-Dark-Chocolate**

**Itsjustkaylak**

**UniKittiCow**

**Katy Cruel**

**Irish Cailin**

**LadyLorairiesTheAssassin**

**Dukbokki**

**Miller330**

**Ihearttardis**

**Beshineshi**

**LazySmurf247**

**Tani**

** .Temple**

**Xx00funsizedxX**

**Eternalwings15**

**Smarah Smarshmellow**

**Belladonna007**

**NeonBunBun**

**Ashermajin**

**missyizzy**

If I missed you, I would like to apologize right here and right now. Know that I thank each and every one of you for reading, for favoriting, for reviewing and for following the story, even if I didn't actually get a chance to mention you here. To all of my readers who didn't review, follow or favorite the story, know that I thank each of you as well for sticking it out and taking the time to read my story. That kind of acknowledgement can make a writer's day or at least it can make my day so thank you for taking the time to read, review, favorite or follow this story! You're all amazing, whether I mentioned you by name or not. I felt like it would be good for me to acknowledge all of you since you took the time to acknowledge me in a way. Hugs to you all!


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